Book One: The Missing Piece
by Post and his Power
Summary: When the keys unlock and balance breaks, purgatory will be unleashed and the final battle will be behind demonic gates.
1. Default Chapter

Hi everyone. This is my first story. Before you read it, I just want to say that this story has been in my head for God knows how long. I only just now decided to write it, just to get it out of my way. I hope u like it. It is going to be a very long story filled with a lot of adventures, battles, death and…. well, I don't want to give too much away now do I? The rating may change as the story progresses, though I don't think it will. I will only continue writing this if I get replies however, and I would love to have any opinion on it. I will NOT change the story I thought of in regards to character development, the story itself, rating, material or appearance/death of a character based on someone's suggestion, but any ideas to improve how I present it will be welcomed. Well, that's all I have to say. Enjoy and please send me your opinions. Thanks. Oh yeah, I don't own Zelda or any characters from any game and usage of them is for the sole purpose of entertainment only. I only own characters I come up with on my own and any likeness of them to other characters from other authors is completely coincidental.

**Book one, Chapter one: before the terrible battles; the prophecy**

The world was in darkness. No matter where he looked he saw nothing save pitch black all around him. His ears took in the sound of a battle being fought. He heard steel hitting steel, weapons bleeding, shields splintered. Men cried in pain and anger, some of their cries being drowned out by the blood they were choking to death on. Just by listening Link could tell those that were fighting were no longer concerned with all the political reasoning behind it, if any; they fought now for their own reasons, just hoping to get out of the battle with their lives still with them. The smell coming from the location of the battle hit him like an arrow. The smell was strong and terrible, that of rotting flesh and blood. The sound and smell was that of death.

Light, though not much appeared before him. He took in what he saw around him, hoping to make sense out of what he was hearing. He could not see the battle for it was beyond a ridge. He saw next to him a girl bearing a shield and sword, her face a mixture of rage and fear. Her green hair was covered by a helm and her body was within the confines of armor. Her sword dripped a black liquid which was that of blood and her shield was cracked somewhat, bound to break if put once again in battle. Around her were several bodies that held on to what weapons they brought with them. Their faces showed their last expression they put on before Saria or himself delivered the blow that separated their souls from them, placing them into whatever Heaven or Hell they would be bound to from then on.

Another person was there. He was unknown to Link but he adorned no real armor at all. His tunic and all other of his coverings were similar to Link's though no hat was atop his short brown hair. His two swords dripped blood as well and his tunic was ripped in several places, revealing cuts he received in the battle. Unlike Saria his face was somewhat calm and understanding, yet Link could easily see the look of determination and anger that he felt.

Link grabbed the hilt of his blade and took the mirror shield he adorned on his back. His weapon was bathed in blood as well and the mirror shield had some drips of blood sprayed on it. He ran to the top of the ridge, hoping to see what battle he was hearing all this time.

The wings and claws were the first things Link took notice of. The halos surrounding the angel's heads acted as a helm, protecting the head of the bearer. They chose to fight with sword yet no shield did they have. The blood coated claws of the evil looking beings, large and black and terrifying, came down upon the angels and cut through them like nothing, spilling blood all around them. The demons fell to the angels who could get through the attacks and cut them down with their swords. No longer was the battle on the ground but on the bodies of the angels and demons that fell dead.

Saria and the unknown one ran up to him, looking at the strange battle. Link looked at each of them, noticing that neither of them looked confused at all, but looked like they were ready to join in the battle as well. It was when looking at the unknown one that it struck Link that he was no longer carrying two swords but carrying one sword, and yet he had no scabbard for it. Though all the battle was happening right before them the fact that he had a new sword and no scabbard for it was what caught him the most, especially since there was no blood on it.

It was then that Link heard something like an explosion, but the sound came from above him rather then from the battle. He looked up and saw what he thought was the weirdest sight of all. Though they were high up in the air Link could tell they were four women, one looking slightly darker yet similar to the other three, and they were fighting in the skies above. It was not swords that they fought with but energy, powerful energy that Link hasn't seen since the last battle with Ganondorf. The darker one looked like the other three, yes, but Link felt the presence of pure evil coming from her, a being made up of nothing except the vile and wicked feelings and thoughts she had. It chilled him to the bone.

Suddenly the evil one of the four fighting in the air looked at him and his two comrades. She looked at each of them and took particular interest in the one that Link didn't know. When she finished looking at them she said only one word. That word was "Purgatory." She held up her hand, palm facing them, and shot a powerful ball of energy. The last thing Link registered before he was overtaken by a power more frightful then Hell itself was that of the unknown one, holding his sword up at the blast, and slicing at the shot that came at them.

Link opened his eyes and shot out of his bed, a heavy sweat cascading on his body and drenching his tunic. His breathing was quick and deep, like the first breath he ever took in his life. His body was stiff and his mind was on fire.

He took in all his eyes could let him: he was in his tree-house in Kokiri Forest. The table in the middle of his house was still littered with the dirty wooden dishes that he had eaten off of before going to bed, the holes in the walls of the hollow tree, which he used as a make-shift window, were letting the late-night wind come and go as it pleased, the gilded sword and mirror shield were right under his bed, with several other weapons as well. Everything was just as he left it; he didn't go to a battle where he would have to fight for a cause he didn't know of, at least not yet.

He had the dream, or nightmare, again. He's been having them for the past month now and recently he's been having them every time he went to sleep. It's been at least a week now since he hasn't woken up scared he was about to die. What did the dream mean? Was it a prophecy? Why was Saria in it and apparently fighting in it? Who was that person next to them? Who were the four fighters in the sky? These and many other questions raced in his mind in less then a second. He knew he would be on another adventure soon. The nightmares were enough for him to know that much, but there was so much he didn't know. He would have to ask Zelda for information. Maybe she could explain what was going on. Right now though he was going to go back to sleep and just hope he didn't have another nightmare.

He closed his eyes and went back to sleep; when morning came he woke with the image of him and his two friends dying. The words he heard just before he died stuck in his mind as it was the last think he heard in the nightmare. 'When the keys unlock and balance breaks, purgatory will be unleashed and the final battle will be behind demonic gates.'


	2. Book One, Chapter Two: Three Dreamers an...

Hi everybody. I hope you all liked my first fiction. I enjoyed everyone's opinions about it. Just keep sending the reviews. The Zelda characters are not mine. They belong to the guy who thought the characters up. I only keep characters that I come up with to my name. Permission needed to take those characters into other author's stories. Thanks.

**Book One, Chapter Two: Three Dreamers and Their Dreams**

Link looked over the balcony that was connected to his tree. He could see the liveliness of the Kokiri that were out today. Tilda was standing near the small pond's edge, trying to catch a fish with her bare hands, while her twin sister, Vitny, was playing hide-and-go seek with several other Kokiris that Link could not see, due to the fact that they were hiding. The know-it-all brothers were just coming out of the tunnel that lead to the Lost Woods and were frustrated once again that they found their way back to the Kokiri Forest; they had spent several weeks trying to find a way through the Lost Woods so that they could make a map for all the other Kokiri that wanted to travel through the woods as they pleased, without worry of getting killed by one of the many creatures that called that sacred woods their home. The shop owner was leaving his shop, looking for more items to stock. Fenoa, the only blond-haired Kokiri, was standing on her usual spot: at the end of the narrow bridge that was about ten or fifteen feet above the ground. Mido, the self-proclaimed 'Leader of the Kokiri,' was exiting his tree-stump house and looking around. He started yelling at Meno when he realized that he was not moving the rocks away from his house. Meno got back to work, but not without muttering a few curses under his breath. Brenet, the strongest among the Kokiri, was in the training grounds of the Kokiri Forest, punching and kicking an invisible opponent.

To Link, nothing looked out of the ordinary; it looked like just another typical day in the Kokiri Forest. To anyone else, especially those who had come upon the small wooden village for the first time, something was not right about the picture they were seeing. They would see kids, looking no older then the age of ten or eleven, but no parents. In fact, unless one came from the outside world, there was no adult in the village. Due to the magical influence brought upon by the Deku Tree, the Forest Temple and the fairies, none of the Kokiri ever grew up. They remained in the image of children for the rest of their lives.

Another thing that was different about the Kokiri was that, due to lack of the outside world's influence, they had no form of government. They were a tribe of beings who's only worry was when a creature made it's way into the village, in which case the Kokiri would band together and overcome the foe in numbers and armed with what weapons they had, which usually consisted of sticks, deku nuts, slingshots and bow and arrows. All Kokiri knew how to fight; living in the forest, with all of the creatures, made it a necessity to learn how to combat at a very early age.

The Kokiri also had wisdom, more then most adults did, because their life span was almost twice that of the Hylians, the dominate race in Hyrule. This was due to the fact that their metabolic rate was very slow at best. However, the advancement of buildings and architecture never went any farther then carving a home out of one of the many large tree stumps. For all of their intellect and knowledge, they were not a sophisticated society. Yet, even if they did know how to make such wonders like castles and roads, they would not dare ruin the splendor of the Kokiri Forest by making such things. The forest was and, to most, always will be their home.

There was one question that any person would have asked if they found the village, a simple yet reasonable question. How are the Kokiri born? The Kokiri were born from the Great Deku Tree. The Great Deku Tree gave birth to them by using the many large flowers that it had on its branches. It would allow the Kokiri to nurture in the flower till it was about the age of five. After that the Deku Tree would gently lower the flower to the ground and allow the Kokiri to exit it. Any new Kokiri would go to the village and be welcomed by all the other Kokiri. The new Kokiri would then be given cloths and a place to live. After that they could do anything they wanted, as long as they followed the few rules which were laid out by the Kokiri tribe (this is about as far as the form of government is in the Kokiri tribe). Those that could not abide by the rules were exiled from the tribe. This punishment was very strict, because those that were exiled from Kokiri Forest were said to eventually die. However, no Kokiri was ever exiled from the forest for the last two-hundred years, so no Kokiri was worried about leaving. The rules themselves were quite easy to follow.

Link checked his equipment, making sure he did not forget anything that he might need. Once he was sure he had all his gear he grabbed the ladder attached to the balcony of his house and descended down it. Once he was on the ground he made his way to the path, which was made by the constant walking on it, and looked about some more. Other then a few other Kokiri talking to one another, there was nothing else happening in the forest.

Link was about to leave, but then he looked to his right. Next to his house was the large tree stump that his best friend, Saria, used as her home. He suddenly remembered his dream, her being clad in armor and fighting in that battle. He knew that, if these dreams were in fact prophecies, she would have to battle next to him. If she did that she would have to give up her duties as the future Sage of the Forest Temple. It struck him suddenly just how much he needed to know from Zelda. If the Sage of the Forest was not there to guard the temple how could Hyrule survive if another powerful evil entered it? Would her absence mean the downfall of Hyrule? Could it be that, if Zelda told him she was also having these dreams, he would have to make a choice on risking the world for Hyrule's safety? He suddenly didn't know what to do.

He made his way to her house. Since the Kokiri knew everyone in the village, and made friends with most of them, they didn't bother placing doors to their stump-houses. Link entered her house. The interior was, like most houses in Kokiri Forest, a one-room house. Two rectangular-shaped holes were on opposite sides of the house, serving as a window to let breezes enter and leave easily. The floor was covered by a hand-made carpet that laid over most of the floor, save about five or so feet from any walls. A round table was placed to the right wall of the house with cylinder-shaped logs that were used as chairs. Unlike Link's table, Saria's was clean of all dirty dishes. A bed just big enough for a kid was placed near the left wall of the house; it looked very neat and well made.

Saria was not home right now. Link knew she wouldn't be home; she hardly ever is. He needed to talk to her though, needed to say something to her, but he could not think of anything to ask or tell her. She was his best friend. How could he tell her that she may have to put aside her place as the Sage of the Forest Temple so that she may join him in a journey that may very well mean the end of her life? Should he even tell her that? He didn't know what to do. Maybe it was a mistake trying to talk to her right now.

Another thought entered his mind suddenly. If she did do this and did not become a sage, then she would not have to spend the rest of her life cut off from the rest of the world save the temple she was guarding and the chamber of the sages. She could do whatever she wanted to do and go anywhere she wanted to. He could stay with her and they could travel anywhere they wanted to, even beyond Hyrule. Sure, he would show her Death Mountain and Zora's Domain and all of Hyrule first, but after that…

No. None of that would happen and Link knew it. He knew that, if his dreams were true, she would be bound to the quest and would have to participate in any battles that came up. It would mean leaving Hyrule and giving up her innocence to battles and death in unknown lands. It would mean getting injured in battle and probably dying. If she did have to participate in this, she would give up her good life, with many friends, to a life where each new day brought another battle and death was lurking right behind you all the time, just waiting for that one attack to come and give him permission to reach his bony hands out and take her soul to whatever place it was destined to go.

He couldn't talk to Saria, not right now. She would know something was wrong for sure; they are best friends after all, like a brother and sister almost. He needed to know if Zelda was having these visions as well. He needed to know if it was even worth mentioning to Saria. If it was necessary, he would tell her what he and Zelda were seeing. If not, he wouldn't tell her a word.

Link left the tree-stump house and turned to his left. He followed the path right to the tunnel that connected to the Kokiri Bridge. He took that path and passed the bridge. After that he went through another tunnel that was connected to Hyrule Fields. Though the air was crisp that day and the sun was out in a perfect sky, Link didn't notice at all.

He took his wooden ocarina, a present given to him from Saria, and played Epona's song. He heard a horse cry in the distance and the sound of hooves running on a strong, healthy ground. It didn't take Link long to notice a horse coming to his right, a young, red-coated mare with beautiful white hair coming off the back of her neck and tail. When she came to Link he patted her nose gently, a warm welcome gesture to the young mare.

"How are you doing Epona," Link asked. "Do you want to take a run to Hyrule Castle?" Epona snorted and nodded her head up and down. Link knew by now that, when she did this motion, she agreed. He hoisted himself up on her bare-back. He then turned her to the north and was off to Hyrule Castle Town. Hopefully, he would be able to get to meet Zelda.

xxxx

If anything can get one's mind in a better mood, a trip to the Hyrule Market was the thing to do it. Link loved it there; the crowds, the shops, the food to buy, the games, the people. Everything excited him about it. And it was as busy as ever it seemed. Why not? Today the king and princess Zelda were going to make an appearance in the market. Link had to stifle a laugh at the thought of it; Zelda told him that the king did that because he loved the attention and the cheering. Link remembered the first time he saw the king and the princess make an appearance: it was shortly after the battle at the castle, when Ganondorf and his army were concurred at the hands of the castle guards. Though Link knew that it was really him that sent Ganon to the sacred realm, he thought best not to gloat. Especially since his friends knew who the real hero was.

Suddenly he heard a loud cheer that brought his attention back to his reason coming there. At the path to the castle grounds, one of the guards was announcing the king's arrival. Another loud cheer followed and horses started coming out one at a time, each one of the horses bearing a guard on their backs. Trumpets blew and drained out some of the cheering that was going on at that moment. The guards surveyed the area, ensuring the safety of the king and princess. One of the guards gave a signal to the guard who was making the announcement of the king and princess, a signal ensuring that the area was searched and cleared of all suspicious looking people (thankfully Link hid himself in a tree and was not noticed by the guards; had he been seen he would have been escorted off the area as well because of the sword he was carrying on his back).

A chariot, pulled by eight beautiful looking mares, showed itself in the Hyrule market several minutes later. The chariot, round and big, had a golden color to it, making it very bright in the high sun of the day. The door was made of silver and in the middle of it was an emblem of three golden triangles forming one bigger triangle, with a space in the middle that looked like it could house a fourth piece if it was placed in upside-down: the Triforce. A window was on the door just above the emblem of the Triforce. Link could already see movement in it; one large figure was shifting inside and a much smaller figure was sitting next to the larger one.

The guard riding on the front of the chariot got off and made his way to its door. He pulled it open and a figure, which looked like he could have enough build to fill in an iron knuckle's armor, stepped out. His height was grand, almost seven feet, and he looked strong enough to crush boulders with a single flick of his wrist. His beard and mustache was blond and cut short on his handsome face. His blue eyes held knowledge that few could know and a deep understanding that none could match. His crown and scepter, a proud symbol of his high ranking, was solid gold, and embedded into each were rubies and diamonds that sparkled beautifully, as if they were boasting of their worth. On his right hand he had a ring that housed a jewel that Link had never seen before, and for a brief moment he desired it himself, but dared not attempt to take it; seeing it was enough for his lust. His garments were beautifully hand-made by the finest of tailors in the land of Hyrule. A red cloak was attached to the shoulders of his armor and fell across his back. His armor was that of mythril and had an emblem of the Triforce embedded in it.

Another figure strolled out of the chariot, following the king's footsteps. The young girl, no more then the age of eleven she looked, stepped next to the king and held his hand; her hand nearly vanished within her father's. Her hair, which resembled gold worth more then all of a kingdom's treasures, was long and fell very neatly behind her, stopping at the middle of her back. Her eyes were a perfect resemblance of the king's: blue, with knowledge and deep understanding held in them. Her dress, which clung to her body, showed off her figure, which was perfect for a girl her age. The dress was mostly a very faint purple with golden-colored yarn etched in it; on it was an emblem of the Triforce. On the top of her head sat a piece of cloth that matched her dress. On the cloth was a golden tiara which was lined with ten small, perfectly cut diamonds. Although anyone could have told you they saw all of that, there was one thing that only Link and Zelda herself could of seen that no one else could of, and that was the Triforce markings of the back of her left hand. She was blessed with the wisdom of the goddess Nayru while Link was blessed with the courage of the goddess Farore.

The only things that could be heard after that were the people in the market cheering and praising their king and princess. Many even started chanting and singing in their names. They did this, for it was the king that had saved Hyrule from the King of the Gerudo, Ganondorf. Had he taken the castle from the king of Hyrule all would have been lost one year ago.

Link kept himself in the tree just above the king and Zelda's heads. He knew that if he said anything the castle guards would shoot him down and take him in for questioning, if he survived the arrows. He suddenly regretted his choice of hiding because he could not gain the noticing of the princess without giving himself away to everyone else. Now he would have to wait for another time when the king presented himself to the peasants to ask Zelda the questions he needed answering. He could not enter the castle anymore. Ever since the happenings with Ganondorf, the Castle Guards have increased their watch on the castle and now none could get anywhere near it.

"_You worry too much about yourself at times Link." _Link jumped at what he just heard. It struck him that Zelda must of known where he was the whole time. And she just found a way for them to communicate: telepathically.

"_Zelda," _Link said in his mind. "_I'm glad to see you. I need to talk to you. It's about the dreams I've been having."_

"_Yes Link, I know,_" Zelda replied. "_I have been seeing these visions myself. I believe these dreams are another prophecy. I can not make any sense of it though._"

"_What is it that you have been dreaming,_" Link asked. "_Maybe your dreams are different from mine._"

"_Link; if your dreams are different from mine, I'm not sure if it is a good sign. I have dreams of the world surrounded in a complete and overwhelming darkness. The moon is bathed in blood and the land is dead. People are screaming and being slaughtered by demons, their blood coating the Earth a crimson red. Suddenly a figure approaches and summons to him an army of angels with a sword that glows a holy golden light. But as the darkness fades the demons come at the angels and a battle takes place. Suddenly I hear a terrible battle happening in the sky, and above me there are four figures fighting. Three of the figures are fighting one, and the one is winning the fight. Suddenly the one figure looks at the figure on the ground that is summoning the angels and says only one word: Purgatory. The flying figure then flies down and kills the figure holding the sword. That terrible demon then kills all demons and angels around her in one blast of energy. But I swear, before I am taken by that terrible power, I see a triforce piece in the background and it is taking all the darkness to it. Before the dream ends, however, the triforce piece shatters. I am worried Link. I am worried that the world will face an evil, an evil more terrifying then Ganondorf ever was._"

This information hit Link right in the gut. He was right. This evil was going to affect the entire world. Just like in his dream there was an unknown figure standing on the battlefield, but it looked like he was the one that summoned the angels into battle. Did that mean that the demons were already there? Was he the new bearer of the Triforce of power? Why did his sword have the ability to summon angels to his bidding? All these questions rose in his mind, but what he noticed was that word. It was in his dream as well. What did the word "Purgatory" mean and why was the lone figure struck after that dark entity said it? Why was he killed? More questions kept appearing in his mind. He didn't know what to think.

"_Link,_" Zelda said. "_You don't have to tell me what your dream was about. I read your mind as I was telling you all that I saw. Now I am worried. I don't know what to do. One thing is sure though, we must find that unknown fighter and see if he can't be put on our side. I have a feeling that, when all is said and done, he will be the fighter that will end the battle. Link, find him and ask for his help. I order you to do it. We need his help for whatever battles may come up._"

"_But Zelda,_" Link said. "_I don't know what we should do. I have troubles that have kept me up for days at a time. I must know why Saria is in the battles as well. What role does she play in all of this?_"

"_I do not know yet,_" Zelda said. "_I have seen her in my dreams as well and I am baffled as to why she is in the fights. She is destined to be a sage, and to fight in the battles to come would mean she would abandon her duties as the Sage of the Forest. Link, I have thought about so much in the past fortnight that I have put my mind in exhaustion. I will aid you in any way that I can, but for now I have nothing to offer but my hope. These questions that we both have can't be answered by us, at least not yet. Do what you can to find the answers that we seek._"

"_Zelda, I am troubled by what you just said to me. If that truly is all you can say then Saria will have to participate in the battles that seem to be between angels and demons. I wish I could just leave on the journey and face this evil alone, but I have no idea as to where I must go. From what I have seen in my dreams the battle will not be fought in Hyrule, but in a different land. That would mean Saria would not only have to leave the forest, but Hyrule as well. I am not sure she would be able to survive in the damned battles that may come. I am afraid of much, but Saria is my prime concern for now. She is my best friend and I wish not for her to risk her life. Please Zelda; can you say no more that could help me in anyway?_"

Suddenly the trumpets sounded, signaling the king's and princess's departure back to the castle. The sound cut through the communication of the two minds like a sword through air. Zelda followed her father back to the chariot and soon the sounds of the horse's hooves were no longer heard as the chariot and all disappeared in the distance.

"_Link, I am sorry,_" Zelda said. Her telepathic voice was far now and heard as a whisper in Link's mind. He had to strain to hear her voice and what she was saying. "_There is one thing that I do remember now. It was another voice that I heard and it said something just before I woke up. It was a message I believe. It said 'When the keys unlock and balance breaks, purgatory will be unleashed and the final battle will be behind demonic gates.'_"

Link could not believe what he just heard. The same voice and message was in his dreams just last night. He tried to contact her again, tried as hard as he could, but she was too far away now to be heard. She returned to the castle and could not return to his aid. She knew that she could do nothing now but pray to the three goddesses for their aid.

xxxx

In an area just on the Eastern edge of Hyrule, an area hidden for countless centuries, a small, green-haired girl just woke up from her nap. Her screams pierced the silence that the temple seemed to bring, scaring all the critters in the area. She had the nightmare again. She has been having them for about a month now. It was all so confusing, but, as crazy as it sounded, she believed the nightmares meant something. Especially now that she was having them every time she went to sleep.

She remembered what she dreamed. She was in a world that was not Hyrule. In fact, she doubted it was even Earth. Darkness was engulfing everything and had taken all but the ground she was standing on. She had in her right hand a sword and on her left arm was a shield. She was adorning armor that was light and made of a strange material she had never seen before. She looked around and strained her ears for any signs of life. There was none to be seen or heard.

Sound was suddenly heard. She saw two figures fighting. One was a strange looking Hylian, for he had no pointed ears. His hair was cut short and he had no armor on him that could be seen. He held a sword in his right hand and had a shielded left arm. His attire was kokiri in almost every way, but he didn't look kokiri at all; he was a mid teen height. The other fighter looked like a Hylian, but it looked like a monster as well. It was a woman, who towered over the other fighter; twice his height at least. She was slim, yet Saria could tell she had unmatched strength just by the way her body was moving. Her hair was golden and it seemed to glow slightly. The skin pigment was hard to tell: it looked somewhat tan, but it also looked like an aura was seeping through her skin and giving it an almost golden glow as well. Her legs were nimble and very fast. Her hands were perfect in shape, but had blood-stains on them. The face was what frightened Saria. It had a beautiful face, perfect in every way, but the look of insanity and lust for bringing death was what Saria noted. This monster wanted the other fighter dead. She wanted it, like a hungry lion wants a small, weak animal.

The smaller fighter was fending off her attacks with his sword and shield. His kokiri-like outfit was torn in some places and blood was staining the front of it on several areas of the chest and stomach region. He was clearly losing the battle against the monster he was fighting. He was just trying to hold off her attacks so he could find a way to escape from this fight. His look of desperation was apparent.

The monster then struck his sword and shield with a deadly force. The warrior's sword and shield left him and flew several feet away from him. He staggered and almost fell, but got himself planted firmly on the ground he was standing on, but only for a quick second. An arm, long and strong, pierced his abdomen and her hand came through his back. The unknown fighter went into a spasm and was coughing blood out his mouth. He gave one more jerk and then moved no more.

The monster, her now red coated arm removed from the fallen fighter, looked at Saria with a mixture of hate and joy. This monster hated Saria, hated her with a passion, but had joy for the pain she would deliver to her. She started to advance in her direction, when Link ran out from behind Saria and took the fallen hero's place. He attacked her and was holding her off, but the monster suddenly started to move quickly and attacked Link with a blast of energy that not even Ganondorf could have wielded.

Saria suddenly saw herself glowing. Light started coming off of her and a strong aura surrounded her. Her body started to vanish, started to fade away, but not completely. She was suddenly a being of pure energy, nothing but light. Her new body started moving in the air fast, going at a speed that she never dreamed possible, and was heading to the dead hero. As she entered his body, a voice that was strong and powerful filled her thoughts. Before she woke from this damned dream she remembered it telling her a message: _'When the keys unlock and balance breaks, purgatory will be unleashed and the final battle will be behind demonic gates.'_"

She always woke up right after she entered the dead one's body, but that message only started coming to her for the past several nights. After that message started coming to her she always felt a strange presence surrounding her. She felt a strange power inside her, one that wasn't the power of the Forest Sage. She didn't know what it was.

It has been a good while since Saria had a full night's rest. Her hair was starting to lose much of its sheen. Her eyes were heavy and bloodshot. She felt very weak all the time now. And now she was starting to get agitated with every little thing. If Link saw her like this he would want to know what was troubling her. She couldn't tell him what she was dreaming, could she?

"What's happening to me," Saria asked to nobody in particular. "Why am I dreaming this nightmare every night? Oh Link, please help me. I need you to help me."

She took her ocarina and started to play her song, the song she made up a long time ago, the song that traveled throughout the entire forest and even entered the caves of Death Mountain, where the gorons would sit and listen to her beautiful song for hours at a time. She played her song, hoping to hear a response to it, hoping to hear Link trying to contact her. Her song was not heard or listened to by anyone that day, for the joy she once had in it left when the nightmares started coming. Link was not playing it either.

Saria put her ocarina back into her kokiri tunic. She looked down and noticed her hands were shaking, shaking in fear, but fear of what she did not know.

"Link," Saria begged. "Link, please, please help me."


	3. Book one, Chapter three: Of Children and...

Hi. Sorry for taking so long to update the story. Just a lot of things going on with me right now. I'm still going to keep on writing. Just keep reviewing. Also, tell others about this story. Well, your call on that one. I don't own Zelda and never will. I own the characters I made up. Permission needed if you want to try to do something with them. Thank you.

**Book One, Chapter Three: Of Children and Burdens**

It had been too long since he last traveled the seemingly endless labyrinth that was Lost Woods, for now he no longer knew his way around it and Saria's song seemed to be really faint. Link stopped and looked around for a bit. It has been about three months since he last traveled this maze-like path, and he wanted to get a sense of security with the forest, but some things have changed within it. The trees were thicker and much greener, but it seemed that some of the trees have taken to bending closer to the ground, as if taking an interest in something that was much smaller than they were. Several new tunnels have been carved into the forest path, tunnels that the skull kids liked to make. This proved to be a problem for Link as he realized that Saria's song was no longer something heard with great ease. The deku scrubs were more aggressive and now attacked anything in sight (several kokiris had lost their lives due to this). The birds were restless and the bugs that they ate were now scared to move from whatever rock they lived under. For some reason, the Lost Woods had become a place to fear than to travel. Only the bravest of the kokiri now dare to ever come even close to the Lost Woods. Outside of himself and Saria, the only others who ventured in the Lost Woods were Mido and the Know-It-All brothers.

As Link listened carefully for the lovely sound of Saria's Song he started to wonder how he was going to tell Saria what he learned from Zelda. He knew how important this was. He knew that to say any wrong thing would mean to put not only Hyrule in danger, but the entire world. He knew that Saria would believe him, regardless of what he said, but he had to convince her to leave Hyrule and put her own life in danger. How could he do that? She was his best friend, and he was going to ask this of her? Ask her to leave all her other friends behind and travel with him to battles and wars? This was probably going to be the hardest thing he was ever going to do.

Why her? Why did fate choose Saria? Was it that Saria had something that no one else did? Was it because of her sage powers? Was it because she was the strongest of the kokiri? All these questions raced through Link's mind, but he did not have any answer for them. He knew of nothing that would help him or Saria. And that was why he had to tell her. It was because he had no choice. No other alternative.

He listened again for Saria's song. He heard it coming from the tunnel to his right. The song sounded much louder from this tunnel than from the other tunnels he traveled through. He was close to the Forest Temple, close to Saria. He turned towards the tunnel that seemed to echo with Saria's song and started walking in that direction. As he entered the tunnel he prayed for Saria's safety.

xxxx

Link held off the deku nut the deku scrub just shot. Link lowered his shield and saw his opponent hopping the opposite direction that he was standing. An old deku scrub trick: keep a good distance from your opponent till you regenerate your deku nut supply. This was exactly what Link was waiting for. He put his shield on his back and reached under where he put it. He felt a polished piece of fine wood. It was not thin, nor was it thick, but it was very strong and sturdy. It took on a somewhat crescent shape. On the ends of the curved piece of wood was a strong yet flexible piece of string that held the shape of the wood together. Link grabbed the magic bow and reached back with his other hand to find one of the many arrows he carried with him. He grabbed one and put the back-end of the arrow on the string of the bow. He raised his bow and pulled the arrow back, trying to get the aim exact. The deku scrub had just stopped hopping away from Link, not to start shooting at him again, but because it was out of breath. Link got the angle of the bow where he wanted it. He let go of the arrow. A whistle was heard in the air as the arrow-head cut through the wind, gliding through the air in such a way that a bird may have been jealous. The arrow stopped suddenly, coming to a dead halt as it pierced the skin of the deku scrub and went through its heart. The enemy that had combat Link gave a weak cry in the air, a cry in pure pain, just before it fell to the ground and gave its last breath. It then bust into flames, as all deku scrubs do when they die, and quickly turned into a pile of ashes.

Link put his bow back and continued forward. He had already fought several of them and this one was bent of preventing Link from continuing up the stairs to the entrance of the Forest Temple. He hated deku scrubs, but loved the objects that they left behind. He bent down to where the deku scrub's body once laid and looked around the ashes that it left behind. Sticking out of the ashes was a deku nut, a useful weapon when being confronted by several enemies at once. He put it in his item bag and started walking up the last flight of jagged stairs. He knew once he reached the top he would see Saria, sitting on her stump that was located under the collapsed stairs of the Forest Temple, playing her ocarina like always.

Link walked up the stairs slowly, hoping to delay his meeting with Saria as long as he could. He didn't want to think about what he was going to say to her; that was the last thing he wanted on his mind, so he started to keep his mind busy. He looked at the steps he was walking on and noticed just how old they were. He knew that, at one time, the steps were beautifully carven and polished. What he didn't know was that each step was made of limestone that came from outside the Kokiri Forest and was, at one time, covered with a marble coating after the limestone hardened into the shapes that were desired for the steps. If Link lived about a hundred years ago and found the Sacred Forest Meadow, he would have seen the steps in their most beautiful form and that the steps once had the most beautiful rails that could be found; but the moblins appeared during that time and looted the Sacred Forest Meadow and the Forest Temple of whatever treasures they could carry with them, including the rails. They even took the marble-coating that was on the steps. And after the looting of the temple the moblins then destroyed the steps leading into it. So it was that the once beautiful steps became the jagged and bare steps that Link traveled on, a ghost from a time long passed in the kingdom of Hyrule.

He climbed up the last few remaining steps and saw Saria, but he never expected to see her in the way she was now; seeing her in this condition almost made him feel sick. Her skin, once beautiful, now looked pale and haggard. Her eyes held a lack of attention and an emptiness that showed how tired and exhausted her spirit had become, an opposite look as to how they used to look with energy and life and knowledge in them. Her green hair, which she always took great care in keeping it beautiful, had lost most of its sheen and looked like it wasn't brushed for nearly a week or more. The tunic she had on was dirty and smelled terrible, like it hadn't been changed for days. What surprised Link the most, however, was the sound of her song. He remembered how beautiful it had sounded when he first heard it, and how much she loved to play it. She would put her soul into the song and have even the Gorons dancing with an unbelievable excitement (even if it did look very wrong for them to dance), but the song he heard now had lost much of the joy and soul it once had, and Saria now looked like she was playing it just to keep what little bit of herself was left in that tired, zombie-like being that he was seeing. Had Link seen her like this when he first met her, he doubted he would of wanted anything to do with her for the rest of his life; but seeing her now, as a friend, he felt terrible and pitied her with all of his heart.

Link walked slowly up to her, completely shocked from her appearance. He now cursed himself for what he came here to say to her. She wasn't ready to hear this. She looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion. What had made her this way? What was it that turned Saria into this mockery of herself? He knew that he shouldn't tell her anything about the dreams, and he decided not to, at least not until she got better. He needed to stay with her and help her as much as he could.

He walked on the light-green grass that covered the ground and walked on top of the temple platform that he once used for his teleportation to the temples; he didn't notice those things now. He got to about five feet from her when he stopped. Saria had stopped playing her song and for a brief moment looked like she was about to faint. Link realized what was happening to Saria. She wasn't getting enough sleep. If fact, it looked like she wasn't getting any sleep, like something was keeping her awake, and he had a good feeling he knew what it was. Saria must have been having the same kind of nightmares he and Zelda were having. He remembered how he felt when he started to get prophetic dreams as well, and had he had them for as long as Saria he may have turned into exactly what she was now. He needed to say something to her, anything, but couldn't think of anything to ask or say.

"Hi Link," Saria said, though it sounded more like a whisper. "I'm glad to see you here. Had I known you were coming I would of gotten a little more decent for you. I must look terrible."

"Saria, don't say that," Link said. "You look fine. I'm glad to see you as well. You have been spending a lot of time here. I hardly ever see you anymore."

"I know," Saria said. "But we always talk using my song, though lately I haven't been able to contact you. I thought something might have happened and that you might have been needed somewhere. I'm glad to see you weren't needed for anything. I worry about you Link. I worry a lot sometimes."

"Yes," Link said. "I know how much you worry about me. I worry about you just as much. And I'm sorry I haven't been playing your song as often as I used to. I've had lots of things on my mind recently."

"Really? Would you mind sitting with me and telling me what you have on your mind? It's been so long since we had a conversation that I think I have forgotten how to have them. Isn't that the dumbest thing you've ever heard?"

"No Saria, it isn't. To tell the truth, I think I feel the same way you feel right now. Like I don't know what to say or ask either. That's kind of funny, isn't it?"

Suddenly Saria snapped her head at Link and looked at him with venom in her eyes. For just a moment Link felt that the person he was talking to right now wasn't Saria, but an enemy in disguise. She never looked so angrily at him before and it made Link very worried. He felt sure she was going to jump off her stump and attack him, but the anger left her eyes just as quickly as it came and was masked by a face of sorrow and depression.

"No Link," Saria all but chocked out. "You don't know how I feel right now, and if you did feel the same way I feel now, I don't think you would be talking to me. You would be keeping only yourself in mind. But let's not say such foolish things now. Tell me what you and all your other friends have been up to. What's going on in Hyrule?"

"Nothing is going on," Link carefully said. "At least nothing worth mentioning. Everyone is doing fine. The gorons are starting to dig a new tunnel into Death Mountain. The zoras are doing whatever it is that zoras do. The gerudo are still keeping guard of their hideout, like always. The kokiri are playing games and having fun. The hylians are going about their lives. The only thing I guess is worth mentioning is that the King of Hyrule made an appearance earlier today with princess Zelda. Other then that, not much."

"The king and princess made an appearance," Saria asked. "Is there something going on that the king would have to make an appearance for?"

"Nope," Link said. "Zelda once told me that the king does that because he likes to hear the chanting and cheering of the people. She said that he likes the attention."

At this, Saria started to laugh a little. Link joined her in laughing. Suddenly it didn't seem that big a deal to talk to Saria. It felt just like old times, before he started going on his quests and fighting monsters. For just a minute, in all that laughter, Link forgot all about his true reason for coming here. He forgot the danger the world was in, he forgot Saria had to be involved in the world's fate, and he completely forgot everything. For just one brief moment he was just talking and laughing with Saria, just as he always did.

Saria looked at her ocarina. For a moment it seemed as if she was going to play it. It looked like she was going to put the ocarina to her mouth and play her song once again, the song she always put her heart into. She brought it close to her mouth, but pulled the ocarina away. Link saw all of this and his reason for coming to see her came back to him. The laughter and the fun memories were gone, replaced with the worries and troubles that no child should have to bear.

"Link," Saria said. "Why did you come all the way out here? I know we haven't seen one another for a couple of weeks, and I know we haven't been contacting one another through my song, so why did you come out here? If you wanted to talk to me, you could have just played my song. Actually, I may have preferred that. I look like a zombie or something. I don't like you seeing me the way I am now." Saria turned her head and faced Link, the same venomous look in her eyes, though not as intense as the last time. "If you did that I could of looked more decent for you. Now I got to talk to you while wearing the same cloths that I have had on for over two days and I smell terrible. Why didn't you just play your ocarina?"

Link was shocked. This was the first time Saria ever yelled at him in anger. And it was over such a minor thing (at least to him it was; he has seen and smelled far worse). But he knew why she lashed out at him. She wasn't sleeping and it was affecting her mind a little. He would of done the same if he was in her situation, at least that was what he thought and believed. He knew he was going to have to tell her soon. No doubt about it. But he needed her to calm down first.

"Saria, its alright," Link said. "It isn't that big of a problem. Your going nuts over a small thing like that. You never did that before. What's wrong? Maybe I can help."

"No Link," Saria said. "You can't help me. Not with this. I haven't been getting any sleep. Link, I've been having nightmares for the past fortnight. Whenever I go to sleep I dream of nothing but battles and death. I see you in it and I see you fighting a monster that you can't beat. I sometimes see other things in my sleep, like angels and a war, but I see you fighting and dying in them almost every time. Link, why am I dreaming this? Why is this happening to me?"

Link could hear Saria ranting and raving and screaming, but he was not paying any attention now. He nodded and muttered a few words of agreement sometimes, but for the most part he was deep in his thoughts. She was having the same kind of dreams he was having. She was having the same kind of dreams that he and Zelda were having. He knew now that he had to tell Saria, had to tell her everything. She needed to know what was happening. She needed to know that she would have to leave Hyrule, maybe forever. But now, at least, it would be a little easier for him to tell her.

"Saria," Link said, interrupting Saria. "I need you to tell me something. What is the most reoccurring nightmare you have? I think I know what it is that's going on, but I need you to tell me what it is that you are dreaming."

Saria looked at Link for a little bit. Not in the venomous sort of way she was looking at him a few seconds ago, but in a detailed way, as if she didn't believe what he was saying but couldn't see any sign of lying on him. After a few more seconds she took a heavy sigh and started to explain her dreams to him as calmly as she could.

"Well, I have a lot of different kinds of nightmares, but since you are asking for the most reoccurring one I'll tell you what it is. It seems to begin in the middle of a battle, as if there is a war going on. But the fight isn't between hylians or any race you have ever described to me; it's between angels and demons it looks like. I am just looking at the battle from afar and I see you and a stranger standing next to me. you both have swords out and each sword is dripping blood. You both also seem to have a similarity, and that is your attire. You both are dressed like kokiris. I am the only one that isn't dressed like a kokiri because I am wearing a suit of armor on me. I look and I noticed that the sword I seem to have in my hand is also dripping blood and that my armor has many drops of blood on it. I suddenly hear an explosion in the air and I see four women fighting one another, not with weapons or fists, but with energy. Actually, its more like three of the women are fighting one, but the one woman is winning the fight. Suddenly, she looks at us and says 'purgatory.' Then she sends an energy blast at the stranger and kills him. After that she comes down and starts fighting you. But as I'm about to join you and help you, she beats you in the fight and it looks like she was about to kill you. And, just when it looks like you are going to die, I just seem to become a ball of energy and I go to the stranger's body. I enter his body just as I hear a scream and that's when I wake up. That's the one I have most often. I have other varieties of the dream, but I don't seem to remember most of them. Link; please tell me why you needed to know that. You know something, don't you?"

"Yes," Link said. "I do know something, I know more then I wish I knew in fact. I to have been having these kinds of nightmares for about as long as you have been having them. I talked with Zelda today about it and she is claiming to be seeing the visions as well. Now that I heard what you dream, it is no question that these dreams are, in fact, prophesies. I wished that not be the case, for it means of much trouble and turmoil to come. For the whole day I have been trying to find you so that I may tell you this, but I was hoping your dreams were not filled with such darkness that my dreams have been filled with. This means that a battle is coming, when it will be I do not know, and from the looks of the dreams the battle will be fought by holy and unholy bodies.

"Saria, my best friend, I have come here to tell you that I must leave Hyrule soon and venture on a quest to stop this battle if I must, as well as find the bearer of the missing Triforce of Power. If the battles do come he may be of use, if I can get him to agree to help me that is. But that is not the only reason I come here. You seem to play some role in these battles that may occur. I must ask you to join me in these travels. Saria, my friend, I need you. The world needs you. I know how this must sound; I felt the same when I was first asked to leave Kokiri Forest. Saria, will you join me in these battles?"

Saria didn't know what to say. Of all the things she expected him to say, this was the last thing she expected to hear. These dreams were not nightmares at all. They were prophesies. These nightmares were going to come true, she felt it, and she has a part to play in all of this. She had a part to play in the world's future, something far bigger then being a sage of a temple that not many knew of. He was asking her to leave Hyrule with him and go on a quest. He was asking her to give up her life with the kokiri and go with him to lands that neither of them knew of. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to say yes and risk being effected by the curse of the kokiri and die once she left the forest? Was she supposed to say no and go about staying in the forest and then never leave once she became the Sage of the Forest? She didn't want to become a sage. She didn't want to have to stay bound to the Forest Temple for the rest of her life, but did she not want it so much that she would of risked dying to not become a sage? What was she supposed to do?

Then another thought entered her mind. A thought an adult might think in her situation: 'What would happen if I didn't agree to this?' She knew that, one day, she would become the Sage of the Forest Temple. She knew that would mean she would be forced to guard the temple for the rest of her life and no longer be in contact with her friends. No longer able to say 'hello' when she saw a familiar face in Kokiri Forest, and no longer able to say 'goodbye' when she had to be somewhere and needed to leave quickly. She would be alone for the rest of her life once she became the Forest Sage.

To accept the quest, however, would mean she would not have to be isolated and alone. She would have to go on this quest, but she would also be able to leave and travel the world if she didn't die leaving the forest. No doubt they were going to go to unknown lands and discover new people and animals. She would be able to see other civilizations and see castles and grown-ups, things that she only heard of because of Link, and she would see them with her own eyes and not have to rely on Link to give an accurate description of what it was he saw. Maybe there was a huge benefit to leaving on this quest after all. She would become a hero and be known all over the world. She would be remembered for countless centuries and be a shining hope for people everywhere. She would become just what Link became: a hero, a legend. She was about to accept it, accept the quest and travel with Link, but Link started to talk again; he started to talk a little excitedly, as if he was trying to get something he had been holding off of his chest.

"I must also tell you of what will come of the quest," Link said. "Tell you the things that I found out on my own when I went on my journey to save Hyrule. I had pictured my quest to be filled with me holding off evil and saving people and being a legend in the people's minds and hearts. This I was right about, but I had not considered the other things that followed with it. The responsibility to save the world was placed on my shoulders and slowed me down often. I put my life on the line and almost lost it on so many occasions that I found I could not fear death, for I had beaten it, narrowly at times, on too many different occasions. I had to see many innocent people get hurt and even die. Saria, you do not know how hard it is to not fear death but be forced to see others, who are afraid of death, having to shake his bony hand while he whisked their souls away by the sword or arrow of an enemy that I was battling. To see the dead body of an innocent man, woman, or child that could have been saved if you were just a little quicker is far worse then dying in many ways, for you must bear the weight of that life for the rest of your own life. You let that person down and they died because you did not finish your enemy off fast enough. Sometimes it is by your own blade you take the life of an innocent, sometimes with no choice in doing so. I have not been down that road yet, but I know I may take an innocent's life eventually, and I may not enjoy it, but I have killed so many enemies now that I doubt I would let an innocent live if they had to die for the benefit of many others. Saria, I have changed during my quest to save Hyrule, but I doubt it was for the better. It is true that I did become stronger, that I did become smarter, that I did become the legend that all people dream of becoming, but at a small price. That price was the way I used to be. I gave up the carefree days of youth with the kokiri and became an adult. No, not an adult, but something that none could ever become unless they did all that I did. I became a hero. But now I can never be carefree again. And I know that you would not be a kokiri anymore if you let yourself go on this journey. I tell you this so that you may know what is to be expected. Not to mention that, if you did accept this quest, you would be forsaking your place as the future Sage of the Forest Temple. So, Saria, my best friend, will you do all this for the sake of the world? Will you aid me in my quest to find the missing Triforce bearer and save the world with me? I know that I must do this, but I think you have a choice. Saria, do what you think is best. And, I'm sorry for placing such a choice on you. Please forgive me someday."

Saria could do nothing else but look at Link. She was stunned silent and was still taking in what it was that she had just heard. What Link just told her was that most of the stuff that she thought being a hero was about was partially true, but it would mean having to become somebody you might grow to hate. With all the things she may have to bear, she was not so sure she wanted this. She knew that, if she agreed to this, she would have to leave Kokiri Forest and be bound to the quest from that point on, until either the quest was completed or she faced death and die. If she didn't accept the quest, that would mean she would become the Sage of the Forest Temple and be bound to the Forest Temple for the remainder of her life, outside of being able to go to the Chamber of the Sages. She didn't like the choices set before her, she didn't like them at all, but she knew which choice she had to make. She knew which choice she wanted to make.

"Link, I must say I'm very surprised at all of this," Saria said. "To travel with you on a quest in order to save the world and not have to be bound to this temple has been a secret wish that I have held deep, for I knew it would be the only way I could ever leave this place. Now that I have the chance to do it I wish to do so. I wish to travel with you and do what I must to keep the land protected.

"I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be a sage. I don't want to see you leave while I must be forced to stay behind, knowing that the only way to keep in contact with you is by the song I have taught you. Link, I know how dangerous this quest will be. I know how serious I must take it. I accept it. I will accept the quest that fate has forced upon me and I will see it up to either its end or my end. I shall aid you in anyway I can. I shall not be a burden. That much I will promise you."

Link felt a pain in his chest. He knew that Saria was going on this quest for the wrong reasons. He knew that, if she did go on this quest for her own reasons and for her own benefit, she would most likely die before too long. Part of him wanted to tell her that she shouldn't go on it if that was her only ambition. He wanted to say that because he really cared for her and he didn't want her to die, but he knew he couldn't. To say that would mean to jeopardize the quest and risk its failure. If he did that he would be risking the world's survival. That was something he wouldn't do.

"That's good," Link said. "I'm glad you're going to do it, but I do not hide the pain that has entered my heart. I needed you for the quest and yet I would of rather that you say forsake to it, for now you must participate in a role far greater than any other that I have faced so far. Now that it is done, I wish that I had just run off in the night and risked its failure than have you participate in it. Do not take my words the wrong way. I care about you Saria and would wish you a safe life from now till the day that we close our eyes and not open them again, yet I ask you to accompany me to uncharted and dangerous lands. I am sorry Saria. I am sorry for my hypocritical ways; forgive me one day."

Saria shifted on her stump for a moment and then got up. She walked over to the collapsed remains of what were once the temple steps. She looked up at the steps which led to the temple entrance and shivered. For the past several months, Saria grew to not like the temple. Even though she loved to come here and play her ocarina in front of the temple, she hated the temple itself. To her it now seemed more like a prison from the outside world, or like a large, stone-like beast that had its tongue hanging out of the gapping entrance to the dark abyss that was its mouth. No longer did she come here to be surrounded by the temple's beauty. No longer did she come here to have a place to think. No longer did she come here to enjoy the fact that this whole area was a secret known only to her and Link. She only came to the Forest Temple so that she could get used to living here for the rest of her life.

She recalled how uneasy she felt the last time she entered the temple. She remembered how scared she got. It was only a month ago; she could clearly recall the image she saw before her, and she still could not let go of how scared she got. Thinking about that incident sent a cold shiver down her back, raising goosebumps all over her body. She could still see that apparition, still see that being that looked kokiri, floating in front of her and speaking in a tongue that she had never heard before. She could still remember when that being, whose body could be seen through as easily as clear water, reached out with his hand and tried to grab her. She remembered running as fast as she could. She ran all the way to the exit and nearly fell from that collapsed staircase which, at one point, served as an entrance to the temple.

Saria turned to Link with as much a stern look as could be found. She knew that Link was trying to get her to abandon the quest so that he might go by himself. She also knew that, if she let him talk long enough, he would get his wish. Even now she was uncertain about it. All that Link said to her and was still saying to her was bringing her doubt. She did not want to stay in Hyrule, yet Link was trying to tell her to do so. If she did back down, she would never have another chance to leave this place that was going to be her prison. She would never have another chance to go with Link on a journey or even leave the forest.

"Link," Saria said. "You are one of the strangest people I have ever known. You come to me, knowing that I must go on this quest, and tell me all that you know; yet, after you tell me what you needed to say, you try to take everything back and tell me to forget all that I have just learned. Link, I hate knowing that I must stay here and guard this temple for all my life. I hate knowing that I would never see the faces of any of my friends when I take my role as a sage. Now I have a way out. I have a way to take leave of my fate as a sage and all I have to do is follow you on this quest to find a missing Triforce bearer and stop a battle from happening. I have made up my mind to take this quest and leave Hyrule. I shall leave it and I will not let anything stop me from leaving, not even your words of experience. If I become someone that I would rather forsake than live as, than so be it. If I die on this quest, than I shall with as much fight in me as I can muster. If I have to kill an innocent so that the world may live, than so be that terrible action. I shall follow your lead into any battle and slay any that needs to be slain. I shall do all I can to protect this heavenly body that all walk upon. I swear it, and I shall not let any talk me out of doing what I know must be done, especially before I even take leave of the forest that I have now seen as a prison from all other places in the world."

Link knew that nothing he said would make a difference to Saria now. She had made up her mind and would not let herself be told to stay in Hyrule. He let out a sigh and looked down at his feet. The grass near the stump he was sitting on was starting to dance as the wind brushed each blade into motion. The trees started to lean in the direction the wind was blowing, making them groan out in a way that made them almost seem alive. Far away, a wolfos cried out into the night, signaling all other wolfos' in the pact that it was time for the nightly hunt before the slumber that they would take till the rising sun. The crickets started chirping and the night owls took flight to those insects that have made those sounds. All these sounds that Link heard sounded empty, as if they were wanting to cry, but couldn't. It was as if the entire forest knew that the one that was destined to protect them would be leaving soon, never to return. Link looked up at the stern, yet sickly, face of his best friend, soon to be his partner in this terrible quest.

"You are right," Link said. "Yet do not be mad at me. I know it was a selfish thing to say and do, trying to make you turn back on this quest, but you are my best friend. With all that we have done together and all we have talked about, to ask you to put yourself in danger did not seem right to me. I know that you are needed in these fights; if you were not needed, you would not have seen these visions that I and Zelda have seen.

"We shall leave for Hyrule market in one week. We must be prepared for the quest. Take all your time and resources to buy and find what you will need and what you may need. We will travel light at first, but soon we may have to stock heavy. That will be when we leave the realm of Hyrule. I shall go through all that I do not carry anymore and see what weapons you can make use out of. I'll even see if I can find a sword that can be used. If not, you'll have to make due with the deku sticks till we can find one. Is that ok with you Saria?"

Saria nodded. She knew that all was said and done. She would leave Kokiri Forest and her duties as a sage. She would leave all she was used to and all her other friends. She would forsake her calm life as 'Saria the Kokiri' for 'Saria the Hero.' She knew that she would be entering battles and see much that she would not want to see. She knew her body would get stronger through all the battles and injuries she would suffer. She even knew her body would suffer many markings of the battles she would be in, as Link's body did. She knew that, in time, she would hate her choice. Right now, though, she felt like a great weight was lifted off her shoulders and all would be well. She felt like jumping in the air and letting her lungs empty with the sound of cheer and happiness as she would never have to face the horrible fate of eternal solitude. For the first time in a fortnight a small smile appeared on her tired face.

"Saria," Link said. "We should be going. We are going to have a long day tomorrow, preparing for the quest. We should get some rest before it gets too late in the night."

"Yes Link," Saria responded. "Let's go back to Kokiri Forest. I really do need to sleep, and tonight I rather it be on my own bed."

Link got up and walked side-by-side with Saria. After going into the Lost Woods, Link noticed that Saria was having a hard time keeping up. He slowed down a little so that he could talk with her.

"Saria," Link said. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Saria responded. "I'm just tired. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine after I get some sleep."

"Are you sure you'll get any sleep," Link asked. "You said that you haven't been getting any sleep ever since you started getting the nightmares."

"I know," Saria said. "But I don't think I'll have them tonight. I accepted the quest, so maybe they'll stop coming to me."

"Alright," Link said. "Just don't try to push yourself too hard tomorrow. If you need the extra sleep, please take it. We don't have to leave in a week. We'll leave once we get ready. Is that good?"

"Yes," Saria said, and paused for a yawn. "That will be just fine."

xxxx

By the time they returned to Kokiri Forest the moon had come out and the sky was filled with stars. The Kokiri were in their huts; some of them were sleeping. Some of them were playing some games. The Know-It-All brothers were going over the map that they had made and were trying to see if there was any way to go further in the Lost Woods without running into any deku scrubs. Mido was checking the chest that he kept behind his log-shaped chair. In it, unknown to anyone else, Mido kept another sword that was just as long as the kokiri sword, but had a much sharper edge on it; though it did little in comparison when matched with Link's sword, which was the kokiri sword, but forged with gold dust and it had a longer blade. The night was quiet in Kokiri Forest; the only sound to be heard was the sound of crickets and the flapping of an owl's wings.

Link walked with Saria into her hut. She was barely awake and looked like she would fall asleep at any moment. He wanted to be sure she made it to her bed; she almost fainted on several occasions on their walk back from the Sacred Forest Meadow, or maybe she did fall asleep on those occasions. He walked with her to her bed and helped her in it. She fell asleep before her head even touched her pillow. Link turned to leave her hut, but he heard her say something.

"Link," Saria muttered in her sleep. "We'll always be best friends, no matter what."

"I know," Link muttered under his breath, careful not to wake Saria. "We'll be best friends for as long as we live. Goodnight, and have good dreams tonight."

Link left her hut and went back to his tree house. He climbed his ladder to his porch and gave one more look at the forest, making sure nothing followed them. He saw nothing. He went in his house and removed his sword, shield, bow and quiver and put his equipment under his bed. He took off his shirt and laid down under his covers. He closed his eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep. Just before he fell into unconsciousness he had one last thought go through his mind.

_Saria, whatever you may do, please don't die._

xxxx

Saria did not have any nightmares that night.


	4. Book One, Chapter Four: The Last Night i...

Hi everybody. I hope everybody is enjoying my story. It will get more interesting. Well, hope everybody enjoys this one as well. Zelda doesn't belong to me. If I did own Zelda, I wouldn't write this story. I'd put this as a game. If anybody does put my idea into a game, I will so sue them far up the ass. lol. Anyway, enjoy fans. And keep reviewing. I may very well pull the plug if I don't see more reviews, but I don't want to; so please, if you like this tale enough to read this far, review. Thank you.

**Book One, Chapter Four: The Last Night in Kokiri Forest**

The small forest, home to the Kokiri, was a realm of both protection and entrapment for those that lived in it. Those from outside this realm, however, were not bound to these rules. If one were to travel to this forest and chose to live there, it would not take long for that person to leave the forest.

The Kokiri have never noticed the restraints placed upon them; they have never felt restrained to the forest because they have never left their realm. Few ever had the desire for adventure and those that did have it never pursued leaving the forest, for to leave the realm that was their own would mean certain death. For this reason, no Kokiri had ever willingly broken the taboo of leaving the forest. It was unheard of.

This does not mean that no Kokiri had ever left the forest. Although the Kokiri were just in the appearance of children, they had the intelligence that could surpass any adults. The Kokiri were long-lived beings that could age twice as long as any adult could. And, like any intelligent group, they set up rules that had to be followed. In a sense, they had created their own form of government by setting up these 'laws.' The laws, known as the 'Kokiri Codes,' were few in number and not that hard to follow, but those that did break the law were exiled from Kokiri Forest for the rest of their life.

The laws were set up by Renan, first leader of the Kokiri, over five-thousand years ago. After the Great Deku Tree bore the first forty seeds, which would sprout into the first generation of the Kokiri tribe, he realized that unless the Kokiri, his children, were placed under control by one that was equal to them, they would try to leave the forest, as well as try to escape the bond they had with the Deku Tree by destroying the forest, which would end in his, as well as their, demise. So, to prevent this from happening, he took one of the seeds and used his powers to bring the Kokiri within that seed to consciousness several weeks before the rest of the Kokiri were to awaken. After explaining the situation to the Kokiri, which he had named Renan, he asked him to come up with rules to prevent the destruction of the forest. Renan spent all his time thinking up rules that would protect the forest.

Just before the first generation of Kokiri was awakened, Renan had thought up the 'Kokiri Codes.' These rules were placed into effect by both himself and the Deku Tree. The number of rules that were placed into effect weren't that great and the rules themselves were not tough to follow. When the Great Deku Tree chose Renan to be the one to set up the rules he chose wisely, for Renan had the understanding of what laws could do, what laws should be placed and how they needed to be enforced. He did not put that many laws into effect and did not set up any laws unless he knew they could be enforced, even if some were harder to enforce than others.

Renan's goal was simple: to protect the Kokiri, the Deku Tree and the forest. He did not care about his status over the rest of the Kokiri and knew that, if he did set up too much power upon himself and his position, his predecessors would undoubtedly use it as a tool to rule over all the other Kokiri. So, to prevent this from happening, he stated in the 'Kokiri Codes' that the Kokiri, as individuals, would have to enforce these laws themselves and choose the appropriate punishment that would be carried out on those that broke these laws. He understood how many flaws that his plan had, and how hard it would be to enforce some of the laws, but he knew that, as long as the Kokiri were raised to be pure hearted people, the laws would be enforced.

So it was that the 'Kokiri Codes' were placed into effect and a Kokiri was chosen to head all activity among the other Kokiri. Even after five-thousand years the 'Kokiri Codes' have never been changed in any manner. The only flaw in the plan was the way of enforcing the laws and how to deal with the punishment of those that broke it. Because of a lack of fighters among the Kokiri and the fear of the destruction of the forest by those that broke the laws, the Kokiri tribe decided that those that broke the law would be exiled from the forest, never to return. Because of the legend that all Kokiri that leave the forest would die none ever willingly gave up their place within the tribe and tried their very hardest to abide by the laws. None ever left the forest on their own free will. It was too scary to attempt.

However, with the changing of time and increasing of danger, some things that have never been attempted, regardless of how dangerous or taboo it was, were attempted. And, with the coming of a terrible battle, the Kokiri tribe was going to say farewell to one that is going to leave them, most likely to never return. None of the Kokiri knew that Saria was going to be leaving with Link, but some of them felt something; a change was going to happen, they knew that, even though they would never see the change. No Kokiri, save one, would know of Saria's disappearance from the Kokiri Forest.

xxxx

If one could tell of doing everything at once it had to be Saria who could tell it. She had awoken from her first full night of sleep since her arrival back to the Kokiri Forest. For the past week she had been getting up at about four in the morning to prepare for her leaving.

Everyday was a little busier for her, and a little longer as well. She would get up at about four and then spend the first twenty minutes getting ready for the day. She would then cook her breakfast, which consisted of two small fish caught from the pond, which the Kokiri had called 'Kokiri Puddle,' near the Kokiri item shop, a batch of deku nut seeds, some lettuce and a cup of fresh pond water that had been heated up.

After finishing her breakfast she would go see if Link had gotten up yet. If he had woken up, she would go over with him what they were going to have to get for the start of their journey. If he hadn't woken up, she would go over their supplies to see if anything was missing from the previous day. After they went over what they were going to need to get for the day, Link would go off through the tunnel which led to the Kokiri Bridge, the limit as to how far the Kokiri were allowed to go, and Saria would go over the supplies at her and Link's houses and keep record of what they had and if they were missing anything.

Once that was done with, she would go make lunch. Lunch consisted mostly as two freshly caught, or bought, fish and some deku nut seeds. This part of the day always seemed the most loneliest, for while she was preparing to get ready to go on this dangerous quest the rest of the Kokiri were doing whatever small projects they were amusing themselves with or playing a really fun game. She also felt lonely because she came to realize something: she no longer felt like a Kokiri. She remembered, not that long ago, she used to be just like them. She would always be playing a fun game that was made up on the spot. She would always do some fun project, nothing bigger than building forts, so she would have something to do if nobody could come up with a game everyone liked. She would always be talking and laughing about the simple things in life, things adults would only pretend to laugh at. Yes, she used to be just like them, but no longer; not since the troubles and burdens of expecting to be a sage were placed on her. Now, with the fate of the whole world partially on her shoulders, as well as Link's and the one who bared the Triforce of Power, she just didn't feel like finding these simple things funny anymore. She didn't feel as if she were herself anymore. Saria had become an adult and, like all adults, wished desperately to be young and carefree again.

After lunch was done with, Saria would then go to the training grounds of Kokiri Forest and practice fighting. Link had told her that there were creatures and monsters just outside the borders of Kokiri Forest and that she always had to be prepared to fight at any given moment. Link had given her his old slingshot, the one he had found on his quest to save the Deku Tree. She would always choose her target to be a small rock. At first she would practice standing in one spot and trying to hit it. It did not take her long to get used to aiming properly and hitting her target almost every time. She had now become accustomed to aiming at her target while she moved from side-to-side. This had proved to be harder to perform, seeing that she now had to take time into account as well as her aim. Even though she still needed practice with moving targets, she was doing rather well with her new weapon.

Saria would also train herself in using a deku stick. Link had told her that he didn't have a sword for her to use, not just yet, and until that time came she would have to use an item that could be used as a makeshift sword. Saria had chosen a deku stick due to the fact that it was the closest thing she could think of that could be used in such a manner and that she had learned how to use deku sticks in such a brutish way a long time ago. She was rather good at using the long, wooden weapon in such a fighting manner and knew that, if a monster would show how dangerous it was, she would at least get one good swing at it before it attacked her. The only problem she saw with using the deku sticks in this manner was that they were very weak and could snap in two if swung too roughly and struck a sturdy object. She knew she would have to find a sword during her quest with Link; she would not live long if she didn't.

Saria would train until Link came back to Kokiri Forest. By that time the sun was setting and she would have worked up a sweat. When that time came Link would go prepare dinner for them while she went and bathed in the 'Kokiri Puddle.' All Kokiri bathed in this pond. They were as smart as any Hylian, this is true, and because of that they had learned that all races were born into the world without the additional flesh and covering that hid one's bare flesh. Since the Kokiri were not born with the knowledge or desire of coveting another's body and flesh they did not have as much fear that most other races of beings had of hiding one's nudity from others. And, since 'Kokiri Puddle' was the only place of water in the village, the ability to prepare a bath in another place was very difficult to do; they did not know how to build an aqueduct system and filling a tub would be too long a process because it would require one to go back and forth between their house and the pond to fill it up with enough water in which to bath. So for these reasons the Kokiri simply took baths in the open, not afraid to hide their flesh from one another.

After her bath was done, Saria would go to Link's house and eat a well made meal with him. Dinner could consist of anything, seeing as Link traveled to the towns in Hyrule and brought back with him many different kinds of food. He would bring back meats, dried fruits, vegetables, drinks and sometimes something known as cakes, which Saria loved to eat. While they ate they would talk about what happened to each of them that day and make the best of their short time in Kokiri Forest. After dinner was done, Link and Saria would go see what Link had brought back with himself from Kakariko Village and record what was bought and how much of each was bought. They knew that, in order to complete their journey, they had to keep a good stock of items with them at all times and be wise as to what they buy. This process of checking and recording items was not that long a process, seeing as Link brought back only certain things that included food, mostly salted meats and dried fruits, water containers, jars, pots and pans, silverware, herbs, potions, arrows and bombs. They could not spend any rupees on anything they were not sure of needing.

Upon doing that, they would then say goodnight to one another and go to bed. By then, the time would be two hours before the moon's peak hour. This has been the loop into which Link and Saria had put themselves in for the past week. And yet, although the work was hard and her muscles always burned by the time she went to bed, Saria had never felt more needed in her life. She somewhat liked knowing that the world was counting on her and Link to complete this journey. For the most part, however, the importance of the quest was growing more and more apparent every day and she sometimes didn't want to go, but she knew that it did not matter whether she wanted to go or not. It was too late to back down now. She was going to leave the forest and, hopefully, nobody would know of her being gone before tomorrow. Tonight was the night of leaving and for the remainder of the day both Link and Saria would not do anything except relax and spend their remaining time as they wished. Both knew that, at this moment, it was the first of many calms before storms that they would have to see.

Saria gave a long sigh as she got out of bed. She looked up at the ceiling and hoped she had the courage to make it out of the forest. And she hoped that the legend of death upon leaving the forest was just a legend.

xxxx

The last of the bright sun's rays were settling beyond the horizon, touching other places that none in Hyrule knew of. Although the setting of the sun was a beautiful sight to behold, turning the yellow sun into a beautiful shade of orange and dying the white clouds into voluptuous shades of orange and pink, Link and Saria took no notice of the beauty that came about from the laying of the bright sun. They had other things on their minds, things that no other person would be able to tolerate.

Too many days have passed from the time Link told Saria what was to happen on the day they would leave for Hyrule Castle Town. He had told her that they would leave under the cover of darkness just before morning and would then go to Kakariko village, what Link estimated to be a two or three day journey at most. Upon staying there for two days or so, restocking on any supplies they might need and hopefully getting some rest, they would go to Hyrule Castle town, less than half-a-day's journey by Link's best guess, and try to meet with Zelda somehow, even though he had not yet come up with a way to meet with her. Now, on the very eve of their leaving, both wished they had left earlier; it would have been much easier to do so if they did.

The Kokiri tribe, most of the tribe, was outside enjoying the setting of the sun and the colors that were covering the sky as it set, soon to bring out the darkness of night and the countless of stars that would engulf the heavenly body up above. Perhaps the only two not enjoying the beautiful sight were Link and Saria, who were sitting inside Saria's hut and trying to enjoy their last meal that they would eat in Kokiri Forest. Link had brought meat from an animal Saria had never heard of before, an animal called a cow, some fresh water and tea herbs, dried apples and bananas and, for desert, two pieces of cake that Link had bought the other day. Saria had to admit that the meat Link had brought was very tender and tasted really good. The dried fruits were very nice, yet she had grown used to their taste and had grown used to eating such things. The heated water and tea herbs were something new to her and she rather liked it. Link and Saria had not touched their cakes yet.

"Link," Saria said. "I was wondering something. What are we going to do after we talk to Zelda? We have not discussed further than that and I was just curious as to what we were going to do."

"I am not sure," Link said. "We have to get information from Zelda so that we may know what we must do first. Although we know that we must go on a journey to stop a battle that is between angels and demons, as well as find another to journey with us, we have no other information outside of that. We know not where we must go or what we must do exactly. Zelda may know what it is that must be done first, in which case seeing her is our first step to completing this quest. After that, we shall do whatever it is we must do to finish our journey."

"Have you thought of a way to see her," asked Saria.

"Not yet," said Link. "I have given it some thought and I am at a loss as to what we should do in order to get a message to her. I have thought about asking a guard to give her a message from us, but no doubt they would inspect the letter I hand them and read it themselves. If they see that we are trying to meet with the princess they may come after us and question us as to what we are doing or planning that requires us to meet a member of the royal family. Not only that, if I make a note sound too personal, as if I am asking for another meeting with the princess, they would probably want to know how it is that I have met her already and, if I did meet her, why is it that they were not told of it. Another thought that has crossed my mind is that we may try to sneak into the castle as I have done in the past, but I have learned that the castle guard around the castle has been increased considerably and that nobody could even step on the path leading to the castle without an archer or guard seeing it. If we did try to sneak into the castle we would probably be shot at."

"In other words, what we hope to do may be hopeless," Saria said, somewhat depressed from what Link had told her. "Without a means of delivering a message or meeting the princess we cannot learn what our first objective is."

"I did not say that," Link said. "There may still be a way to enter the castle or have a message delivered to the presence of the princess that I have not thought of yet. And, if I cannot think of any other way, than we'll just try giving a letter to a castle guard and hope for the best. Besides, until we try something, there is no way we can go on our quest, seeing as neither of us know what we should do first or where we should be going."

"That is true," Saria said. "We really know nothing as to what must be done. And we do need to find the one who bears the blessings of Din with him. It is just so hard to comprehend that we know much of something that may come about but know nothing as to what roles we play in it."

"I understand your troubles for I feel them as well, but if one tries to contemplate as to the outcome of what will happen more than what must be done next nothing will ever get done. For now let us not worry as to the battle between spiritual beings and focus more on our current state, which is that of getting information and leaving Hyrule. I am sure, once we find the bearer of the missing triforce piece, everything will fall into place and we can continue our quest to halting that terrible battle."

"Yes, that is indeed what we must do and I do believe we should not focus on the end of a game more than how we should win the game. I will try my hardest not to think farther than what will be the next step of our journey and where it will take us, and right now that next step is to see Lady Zelda."

Link and Saria stayed quiet after that, not wanting to continue the discussion any farther than was necessary. As they had finished their dinner and were eating their cakes, which Link and Saria loved very much, night was starting to settle on the now quiet forest of the Kokiri tribe. All those that lived in the forest, including the skull kids, began to seek whatever shelter that they have called their own and were trying to get comfortable within their dwellings. The forest, once lively with the sounds of laughter and excitement, was quiet and peaceful, save for the sounds of crickets rubbing their legs together.

"I must be off to my tree house," Link said. "We shall both retire into our slumbers as soon as we can manage it, for we must leave Kokiri Forest before sunrise."

"Why must we leave at such an early hour," Saria asked.

"I would rather start our journey peacefully," Link said. "I know that if I leave the forest with you in the early-light hours of the day many Kokiri will want to know why it is that I am taking you outside of the forest with me. They may think that I am trying to kill you by doing so and, if that thought does cross their minds, they may try to attack me. I have also thought of going at the hour of which the moon has neared its peak, but many creatures appear during the night and may attack if we stray off the path that shows in Hyrule Fields. By going through the tunnel just before dawn we shall, most likely, leave the village undetected by any curious eyes and will also have the better chances of not running into any night creatures that may pose a threat to us for at least one night."

"What kind of creatures are you talking about," Saria asked.

"Do not worry about that," Link said, after taking his last bite of cake and eating it. "I have seen your training and I believe you can hold your own against any creatures that may hinder our way. And I will be there with you as well, so do not worry about small details such as that. Now we best get some sleep if we wish to leave before any other Kokiri awaken."

"Alright," Saria said. "Good night Link, and have sweet dreams. I don't think we'll have any nice dreams for a long time after tonight."

"Do not worry about such things Saria," Link said, after he got up from Saria's table and was preparing to leave. "Besides, if you go to bed with a thought such as that in your mind I don't think you'll ever get to sleep tonight. Good night Saria and sweet dreams to you as well."

"Before you go Link," Saria said. "Can I ask what I'm going to be using as a weapon once I enter a battle? I know the deku sticks are strong, but I know that I will eventually meet enemies that will be stronger than me and I know they won't be as easily beaten with a stick."

"I know," Link said, sounding as if he was deep in thought. "I am sorry to say that I do not have another sword with me. And I have checked all over the Hyrule market for a place that either sells or forges swords and have found naught. I fear that it may be some time before you may carry a blade on your being, but that cannot be helped right now. For now, we will just have to avoid as many battles as possible. I am sure that, after we leave Hyrule, we may find a blacksmith that can forge a sword for you.

"Let us not worry over such things that cannot be helped or changed at the moment. The last of the sun's rays have fallen behind the distant lands and the stars are showing through the heavens. We must rest ourselves as quickly as we can for we must not be here when the sun returns to Kokiri Forest. Goodnight Saria, and have dreams that keep you in a deep and joyful sleep."

Saria watched as Link's form walked outside of her hut and turned left, heading in the direction of his tree-house. As his form vanished from her sight she took a deep, heavy sigh that needed to be let out. She then walked back to her table and was about to take the dishes to the pond when she decided not to do so. She realized that she was not going to take those dishes with her, so they no longer held any purpose for her. She may as well leave them there and let the ants take care of cleaning the crumbs off the dishes for her.

Saria rested her body under the covers of her small bed just as the crickets were starting to get loud and noisy. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

Had she stayed up just a little bit longer, just for another hour or so, she may have noticed a Kokiri enter her hut and lay a sword within it, next to the entrance. Then she would have seen the messy red-haired Kokiri with freckles sprint back to his hut, which was the closest hut to the tunnel that Link and Saria would be leaving through in less than ten hours from now.

xxxx

Link waited patiently outside Saria's hut. He had been awake since the third hour of the new day and had been outside Saria's hut for over an hour. A pack laid on the middle of his back and within the pack was about half of the supplies that he had gathered from Kakariko Village and Hyrule Castle Town. He had decided to carry the heavier supplies, consisting of pots, pans, heavy weaponry and any other thing that Link believed would be too heavy for Saria to carry at the moment. On his belt he had attached his water container, which was just filled at the 'Kokiri Puddle,' his rupee wallet that was almost emptied due to the amount of supplies that needed to be bought, his trusty hookshot, a bag of bombs, which were used mostly for destroying large pieces of debris that was in his way, his bow and his sword, which was only moved to his belt because of the pack needing to be placed on his back. The one thing he was having a problem carrying was his shield. Having not thinking ahead about where he would put such an important item, he placed the mirror shield under his pack. Under his shield rested a quiver that held many arrows that would come in handy during many battles that he and Saria would be involved in.

Link turned his head in one direction after another, taking in his surroundings and watching for any who may be looking upon him. While looking for any such beings he took his time to absorb all the places he had become familiar with in the forest realm that he had lived. His mind raced with memories of days long past; of times before and after his first quest. He remembered of his first time meeting Saria, when he had no real friends to call his own. He remembered his first time meeting Mido and how much they had both disliked one another and how they always competed against each other in every little thing that they had to do and, by doing so, they had started to develop an understanding for the other; some went as far as saying it was a friendship, though Link was not sure if it was. He remembered when he fell from his ladder and he thought he almost broke his leg.

Link also remembered the time when a small pack of wolfos had wandered into the Kokiri Forest. Before anyone could be warned they started attacking the Kokiri, killing one of the boys and injuring several others upon the first strike. All the able Kokiri boys and girls, including himself, Saria and Mido, had gathered what weapons and deku shields they could and fought the seven wolfos that attacked the village. This was Link's first feel for battle and he hated every minute of it. By the day's end all the wolfos, along with six Kokiri boys and two girls, had been killed in that terrible battle. All the Kokiri that survived the battle came out with at least one injury. Link had been clawed across the chest; had the cut been a little deeper the injury would have killed him. Saria had been bitten on her left hand and lost much blood. Mido had been clawed on his left shoulder and had a mild fracture on his left arm, but he had become the hero among the Kokiri that day by leading the Kokiri to the very end of the battle and single handily killing one of the wolfos, which was the same one that injured his arm. That battle became known as 'The Great and Terrible Battle of the Kokiri' and will be a part of Kokiri history for as long as the Kokiri tribe exists.

Many other memories were recalled by Link, some he liked and some he didn't like. He had seen and experienced much with the Kokiri tribe. Even though many considered him an outsider and shunned him for it, he had grown to love each of the Kokiri as if they were his family. He knew that, by leaving the forest again, he would never return to the Kokiri Forest and would have only memories to remind him of the fun, wonderful and terrible times that he had experienced with the Kokiri. Link sighed and looked back at Saria's hut.

Just as he was looking back at Saria's hut a form started walking out of it. The form had a pack on her back and her hair was still messy, showing that she had gotten up and didn't bother with brushing her hair. A pack hanged off her back that was resting over a shield that Link had bought from the Hyrule Castle Town Market. Her attire looked messy, as if she had gotten dressed in a big hurry and didn't bother to check how she looked. The one thing that had confused Link was the fact that Saria had, in her right hand, a sword that seemed the right size for a Kokiri. The scabbard was attached to her belt and was brown and plain, no designs or etchings could be seen on it. The sword had a polished wood hilt and attached in the middle of it was a small sapphire. The blade was made of a light metal and looked like the original version of the Kokiri Sword; the only difference that Link could see was that the sword was somewhat longer than the Kokiri Sword used to be.

"Saria," Link said. "How is it that you have come into possession of a sword? I thought that the Kokiri Sword was the only blade that the Kokiri had."

"I am not sure where it came from," Saria said. "Upon waking from my dreams I had found it lying next to my door. The thought of you bringing this sword to my hut had crossed my mind when I had first laid my eyes on it, but with what you have just said I know that is not the case. I have a troubled mind now, as I thought that we were to leave in secret. If one of the Kokiri tribe members brought to me this sword while I lay in my slumbers than does that not mean that our leaving in secret is no longer an option?"

"You have said my thoughts," Link said. "I am not sure how one found out of our plans of leaving this forest realm, but that cannot be helped at this moment. The feeling of being watched by shaded eyes now grips me and I would rather we leave this realm before the yellow eye of the goddesses reaches Hyrule and exposes us to all within the tribe."

"With the knowledge of us leaving by one of our tribe," Saria said, concern becoming apparent in her voice. "Is it not possible that many among the tribe now wait for us to try and leave so they may try and halt our advancement out of the forest?"

"I do not believe such is the case," Link said. "Let us recognize the one among the tribe has given to you this blade. If one were to truly attempt to stop us from leaving the forest would it not be foolhardy to give the one they wish to overcome a weapon in which to defend themselves and not instead keep the weapon in the hopes of stopping us from leaving this realm? I do believe that the one who has given us this weapon wishes us not to leave but does not question our judgment upon the matter. It is best that we leave here soon. The moon is sinking in the same place that the sun has sunken and the dawn's first rays of light will soon appear over the horizon. Come; let us leave now and hope none watch us depart from this forest."

Saria sheathed her new weapon and followed Link. As she neared the tunnel, which would lead her to the bridge that separated Hyrule from Kokiri Forest, she began to feel a pain in her chest and her wind pipe suddenly start to close on her. Part of her believed that the curse had already begun to take affect upon her, that she would die in another moment and never even leave the forest. She knew, however, that such was not the case and that she was feeling a hesitation to leave the Kokiri tribe and the forest in which the Kokiri had named as their home. She did not wish to leave that which she had named her home and all those that she had named as her family. She knew that, if the world did not need her assistance, she would never have agreed to leave with Link. She also realized that Link must of felt the same as he was leaving the forest for the first time; grabbing Saria's present from her and sprinting out to the tunnel that is said to give death to all Kokiri who pass through must have been the hardest think Link had ever done in his life. Saria now understood as to why he ran from her that day. Had he not run he would of never left the forest and the world would be in absolute disorder and chaos under the throne and mighty iron grip of Ganondorf. Knowing this gave her more courage to leave. She did not wish to let the world fall under a cloud of death because she was unsure of what would happen to her if she left the woods.

Such deepness was she in her own thoughts that she did not realize that she had already come upon the bridge. Link looked at her with kindness and uncertainty within his eyes. A part of him wanted to tell her that she did not need to leave the forest and that he could do what needed to be done on his own. He knew, however, that to leave the world only within his hands would mean the end of it. He knew that he had never been the sole savior of Hyrule; had he not had the Princess Zelda and the six sages to seal Ganon within the Sacred Realm he would of never been able to best the power of the goddesses. Even now the world and those that lived within it needed not just Link, they need the powers of Saria and the one who bears the Triforce of Power as well.

"Saria," Link said. "The sun has risen and the creatures of the night have returned to their underground shelters. It is time for us to leave the Kokiri Forest."

Saria said nothing in return. Link knew what was on her mind and did not ask for any pursuit of it.

Link began walking on the bridge with Saria following behind him. The boards creaked and moaned at the weight that was suddenly placed upon them. Link grabbed onto the ropes that acted as rails for the bridge and began moving forward again. Upon reaching the end of the bridge, standing within the tunnel that connected Kokiri Forest to Hyrule, Link looked back to see Saria coming closer to him, holding onto the ropes for support. Upon reaching the tunnel Saria looked at Link for assurance and than looked down the tunnel, which seemed to house a never-ending darkness that threatened to engulf her upon entering it. Part of her wished to abandon the quest. To simply flee from Link and return to her hut within Kokiri Forest seemed so simple and logical that Saria wondered why she wasn't doing it.

Link put a hand on her shoulder and Saria returned to her common sense. She felt that she could now brave whatever was behind that darkness within the tunnel and felt no need of abandoning the quest. Her courage was back and she relaxed a little, even though the lump in her throat refused to leave.

Saria took one look back upon the tunnel that led to Kokiri Forest. The laughter of the Kokiri was starting to find its way to the tunnel that Link and Saria were standing in. She knew that she would never see the Kokiri again and that she would never again hear any of their laughter; she did not regret it.

Link started walking through the tunnel, heading towards Hyrule Fields with every step he took. Saria followed him and soon their forms vanished within the darkness of the tunnel.


	5. Book One, Chapter Five: The Curse of the...

Hi everyone. Hope your all enjoying the story. Keep reviewing please. By the way, I apologize to those that waited so long for me to update my story. I had exams to prepare for and didn't have the time to use the computer for the past couple of months. Now that summer is here I should be able to update much faster. Expect my next chapter sooner than the last ones. Oh yeah; I don't own Zelda and never will. I own the characters I make up, so if you wish to use them you must ask first and tell me what kind of story they will be used in. Thank you for understanding. Enjoy.

**Book One, Chapter Five: The Curse of the Kokiri**

An open land that held few trees to the eye of a Kokiri and a bright sun was shining from behind the two adventurers. Bright green grass covered the healthy soil underneath it, which had become a favorite housing to the worms and beetles that lived off the nutrients they could gather from it. A bed of many different flowers laid to the left of the two kids in green attire, a bed which was a place of much activity and business to the yellow jackets that had the ever constant job of supplying their queen with as much pollen as they could gather. About a mile to the right of Link and Saria was a small pond that had become a gathering spot for fish, frogs, birds and small fairies that felt either hunger or thirst during their long stay in the land of Hyrule.

Saria gazed at this land with a feeling of uncertainty and excitement. Never in her life could she have possibly pictured such a barren and lively land such as the one that was before her eyes during that very moment. Before her was a land that seemed to be nearly extinct of any trees save the ones that only seemed to grow to the height of a young sapling. The sun, which had only seemed to show a little of itself to the ground of Kokiri Forest due to the many leaves and branches that blocked off the sun's rays, hit the land with such ferocious intent that it had taken Saria a little time to adjust to the brightness which surrounded her with heat which seemed to leave her skin with a burning annoyance that seemed to beg for cool and comfortable shade. Her elfin ears picked up the sounds of many insects and birds which inhabited the air and blue sky. Smells that had never come upon her engulfed her nostrils and pricked her senses to the location of their source. Although Link had spoken to her of the land of Hyrule, during many different occasions, his descriptions, nor anyone else's, would never have told of the real beauty which stood before her.

Link, now behind Saria, looked upon her with a bit of amusement. She had fled from his side and just seemed to be in a world of excitement and joy. Seeing she like this had brought back to him memories of when he had first seen the land of Hyrule and he now wondered whether he had been as excited as Saria was now. He now felt that Saria would no longer be afraid of the land of Hyrule and that their quest would be much easier because of that fact, for to journey outside one's kingdom would require a much greater amount of courage. He believed that she now had the courage to do just that.

"Saria," Link said loudly to her, making sure he got her attention. "Has my own descriptions of this land been accurate in your eyes, or have you seen something that I have failed to tell you of?"

"This land is the opposite of that which I have seen in my minds eye before your telling of it," Saria said. "Your descriptions had given me a much clearer sense of what was to be expected of this land, but even if you had spent a year and a day's time telling me all that I see now I doubt that you would have told me of everything that I can now see clearly before myself. This land is a valley of emptiness and life, calling all those that live on its lively earth to the places that it has seemed to keep hidden from most so that only those that truly seek its true beauty could ever find it. Never could I have envisioned such a frail and beautiful land such as this, for I can only recall the color of green and umber that has reached unto the heavens of my once native forest. Had I not seen this land before my own eyes I would surely have doubted its existence for all times."

"Indeed such is my feeling for this land that is my home for now," Link said. "This plain is only a connection to other, more live places that would be unheard of in the forest. I would have you seek that which I have seen and journey where my feet have once touched. I would want you to climb to the peak of Death Mountain and visit its inner hell for as long as one could. I would have you see the never-ending expansion of blue which is Lake Hylia and feast upon one of the freshly caught fish from its deep aquatic world. I would have you risk all that we have done now just so that you may get a glance at the barren, almost lifeless, land of sand and heat, which can almost be called an agony to live in; so that you may see for yourself the monument of a time long past which has been hidden on the very edge of Hyrule's border. Alas, however, as we must continue that which we have decided upon. Once we have learned all that can be learned from Zelda, I shall let all that you wish to see in this land cascade before your eyes and be forever reminded in your mind and heart."

"I do hope that you allow that to be," Saria said. "Let us begin as soon as we can; I wish to see all expansions of land that you have told of to me before we leave this kingdom. Where must we be going to in our quest?"

"We shall journey to the village of Kakariko and stay there for one day and night," Link said. "But perhaps we may stay for a longer period of time so that we may scale the base of Death Mountain and visit the Goron tribe that lives upon it. I am sure that Big Brother Darunia would be overjoyed with the visit of the one who fills his heart with much excitement and joy through the songs that you play."

"That is but a mere distraction of what we must do," Saria said. "Although I would rather do that, we must see the princess of Hyrule before we may do any such thing as that. Once we have that which the princess may know of, I will travel with you to this tribe you have spoken of and play my song for them for as long as they wish to hear it."

"I see that you now wish this journey started since our departure from that which you have always showed more love for than any other life that wanders on this plain of earth," Link said, now at Saria's side. "Indeed you are correct with that assumption. Let us be off. I only wish that we could have ridden upon that which I have told you of, but I fear that Epona would never ride as fast as she can with another partner upon her back. And that would only have happened if she would ever allow another to come close enough to touch her mane. But it is useless thinking of that which have not the abilities to be changed. Come, let us be off."

Link started with the pace of one that is in a great hurry. Saria, now glistening in a small layer of sweat, followed closely behind him. Her eyes traveled to and fro, seeking more beauty in this land. Yet she was also keeping an eye out for even the slightest bit of movement. If her eyes would see any such thing, she would tell of it to Link and see if it would be necessary to draw her new blade and fight off the enemy. Link had told her of the enemies in this land, yet he had not told her of what weaknesses they had. She only hoped that she would not need to draw her weapon till they at least knew what must be done to continue this quest. Her hand gripped the hilt of her sheathed sword.

xxxx

The sun had reached its peak upon the skies of the kingdom of Hyrule. Wind blew from the direction of the Kokiri Forest. The shadows of the land have vanished under the forms which they had been summoned from, almost as if they had a deep fear of the light which shined forth from the heavens. Those that did not fear the light were out among those that did not fear it either. In Kokiri Forest the tribe of the Kokiri were playing their many games and enjoying the forest as much as they always had, completely oblivious of the departure of Link and Saria; however, the Kokiri known as Mido sat in his room, thinking of all the times he had played with and fought with his two longtime friends, knowing that memories were all he had left of them. In Hyrule Castle's market the streets have become crowded with those hoping to sell some of their many wares and those that wanted to buy some from the sellers; the guards stood ready for any sign of commotion that needed settling. All over the land stood those who rejoiced the light.

Link and Saria had traveled for a great distance in such a period of time. Link believed that the distance between where he now stood and the land of Kokiri Forest was at least three and one-half of a league. He wished to go much further before the day's end, but he felt a hunger come upon him. Not only that, he knew that Saria would probably be tired by now; she had never journeyed such a distance before. No doubt she would be hungry and in a state of exhaustion.

"We shall halt here for a rest," Link said, turning around to see Saria leaning down and taking deep breaths. "I must apologize for making you go at such a great hast over such a short period of time. You must understand that I am not used to going on a quest with another trailing with me."

"It is alright," Saria said between her breaths. "I understand. And I am fine. I am having no trouble keeping up with you, yet a break does sound like heaven to me."

Saria broke into a small fit of coughing. After getting control of herself she almost immediately let her pack drop to the ground and sat on the soft, green grass. She took several more deep breaths and began to search her pack for any food that would be kept down in her stomach.

Had she looked up she would have seen Link looking upon her with worry in his eyes. Never had he seen Saria like this before. He looked at her carefully and a worry began to fill his heart and mind. Saria indeed radiated the signs of one who is weary and tired from a hard strain and is overcome with weakness, but he noticed something that disturbed him. He knew that, when a person is beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion their body, it begins to turn a shade of red or pink; he had seen Saria's fighting spirit at the training grounds everyday after telling her of the journey and she was always glowing red or pink. The Saria that sat before him now had not the color of one who was feeling tired, but the color of one who was becoming ill. The red glow that would have normally spread all over her body by now had been replaced by a faint paleness. That was not the only thing: she was sweating at a much larger rate than normal. Never in all his life had he seen her sweating as much as she was at that moment.

"Saria," Link said. "You seem to be overcome with fatigue. Do you wish to stay in this one spot for a longer period of time?"

"Now that is a rather strange question to ask," Saria said through her breathing. "Why do you ask me such a thing?"

"I am just worried about how tired you look," Link said. "You look not like the living Saria, but more like her phantom. Your skin has lost some color to it and you are sweating more than I would believe you would be for such a distance and time of traveling. Are you perhaps ill and wish to lie here for a bit?"

A look of worry passed through Saria's eyes, as if he had mentioned of something that she had kept hidden for her whole life, but the look passed so fast that, had Link not been as quick as he was at noticing small things such as that, he would have missed it completely.

"Do not worry so much," Saria said. "I feel very much alive at this moment and I feel not ill at the very least. Whatever concerns you have of me right now are nothing but your imagination. And whatever exhaustion I feel right now will be cured upon a short rest and lunch."

Saria pulled out the first piece of food she could. A piece of fruit, somewhat bruised on one side, was in her hand and Link saw the expression of disgust upon Saria's face by the sight of it, as if looking at it was enough to make her sick. Yet the mask of normalcy was placed upon Saria's face so that Link would not have to worry about her.

"Link," Saria said. "Would you like any food? I would hate to think that I would have lunch without someone else eating next to me. Besides, you can tell me much more of this land that I will see within a few cycles of the sun and moon."

Link sat down next to her and let his pack off his shoulders, feeling relief at the sudden lack of weight that was once upon his back. He took from his belt the canteen of water and let a few drops stay in his mouth, returning much needed strength to his muscles and spirit.

"Saria," Link said. "Do you wish for any water? I would think that, after all this traveling, you would feel somewhat thirsty."

"I would like some," Saria said. "I did not realize that a long walk could bring upon a thirst of such greatness. Had I known that, I would have brought more water with us for our long travel."

She took the canteen of water from Link and drank a few drops from it. After obtaining much needed strength from it she handed the canteen back to Link. Link put the top back on the canteen and reattached it to his belt for future use.

Link and Saria began to eat a little bit of lunch. Lunch consisted of nothing more than a few pieces of fruit that was somewhat dry and a few more drops of water. Saria, although hesitantly, ate a few bites of her fruit. Her color had grown even whiter and her sweating had only started to lighten up. Several times she had to stop eating so that she could cough and hold down her food. The coughs were very powerful and faint, as if she had a piece of food stuck in the far back of her throat; yet after she was done with her fit she would go right back to her actions that were occurring before hand, as if nothing had happened.

"Link," Saria said, breaking the silence which came about after her last coughing fit. "How did you feel when you first left the Kokiri tribe?"

"Now you are the one asking the strange questions," Link said. "What brings about a question such as this? Do you feel any different from when you lived in the forest?"

"I do feel somewhat different," Saria said. "The heat of this shade-less world is greater than that of the forest. The air is not nearly as fresh and the wind is great in strength, as if it either wishes us to be delayed or it wishes us to proceed with great haste."

Saria had to stop in order to cough a few more times. Her coughs had become more frequent and longer. This time Link noticed that she had almost given up all that she had eaten. Link knew what was happening, it was obvious, and he could not find the strength to act on her aid. His mind had become paralyzed with fear and worry. All his senses told him _'Help her,'_ yet his body could not act on it.

"_Saria is dying,"_ Link thought. _"What am I going to have to do? Can I have her return to the forest without the Kokiri seeing her? If they do see her, and she becomes well, they shall never allow her to set foot out of the forest ever again. The tribe would also banish me and send me away from her side for all my years."_

"Do not worry Saria," Link said. "I felt the same when I first left the

'_What am I to do?'_

woods on my quest, but these things shall

'_Saria is dying.'_

become easy to deal with after duration of about one fortnight. I believe you shall not even notice the

'_She may be dead before I can get her back to the forest.'_

differences between the forest and the open

'_Kakariko is too far as well; at least one more day's travel at a horse's pace.' _

fields of Hyrule after that period of time. Maybe it would not even take that…"

Link could not finish the sentence. Saria started coughing again, but her coughs were quick and very strong. She got on her hands and knees and started coughing at the ground with her eyes clamped shut, yet still holding enough space open between the lids to let a few reactionary tears leak through and slide down her cheek, eventually letting gravity take a strong enough hold of them to pull the salted water from her chalk-hued skin to the ground under her sickly face. Her body started convulsing and much color was drained from her being; she did look like a ghost at this point. Her hands involuntarily placed themselves over her mouth while she let herself be balanced only on her knees, but had not the strength to hold back what was to come out. She let her hands touch the ground again, returning to her earlier form of balance, while a hot and horrible tasting liquid shot from her mouth to the ground under her, coating her chin and the back of her hands in vomit.

Link watched all of this and finally found the strength to act on his deep fears. He jumped up on his feet and ran to Saria. He kneeled down next to her as she continued to release the sickly bile from her body for another few seconds. Once she was done he took from his belt the canteen of water and pulled the top off it, dropping the top on the puke-covered ground, and immediately put the canteen to Saria's mouth.

"Saria," Link said with no control in his voice. "Do not drink this water. Rinse your mouth out with it and spit the water out."

Saria did just as he said. After spitting out the water, Link took some water from the canteen in his free hand and used it to clean her chin and mouth of any vomit he could see.

He took Saria and made her lay down on her side. He heard her cough a few more times, though not nearly as strong as she was doing earlier, and also heard her groan in protest to what she was feeling at that moment. Her breathing was strong and deep, taking in large amounts of air at a time. Her face lacked any color. The only place, outside of her hair, that had any color left to them was her eyes: blue as the ocean, yet surrounding that ocean was a fire that burned as red as the lava of Death Mountain. In this moment, Link wanted to cry; he wanted to just cry for her and pray for her safety, but to do so would only make Saria worry. He held back his tears and he kept as stern of a face as he could. Saria, his best friend, was on Death's door. If he did nothing, she would be dead.

"Link," Saria all but whispered. "Am I dying?"

"I do not think so," Link said, not sure of how he was supposed to answer that question. "But I know that your body is growing weaker with every passing moment and that you need to seek some aid. I am unsure of how to approach, for I did not think we would need any medicine before our reaching Kakariko. I curse this situation to the lowest levels of Hell and wish that I could help, but I do not think that I have anything to help you with."

An idea suddenly came to his mind. He knew that the distance they had traveled was great indeed, too great for him to risk returning Saria to the Kokiri Forest, but he knew of another place he could have her receive help. It was closer to them than the forest and would most likely have what they would need to help Saria in her condition. The only problem was distance, for he knew that the ranch was still about two more leagues from their location and that he needed to get Saria there as soon as possible. He believed, however, that he knew of a way to get Saria there in a short period of time; perhaps less then one half-hours worth of time if the one he was thinking of at that moment was fast enough. He only prayed that she was.

From his tunic, Link pulled out a blue colored object that resembled a giant's tear. He put it to his lips and from that item a beautiful song came forth. Its notes pierced the sky and traveled on the wind's soft yet strong breath. Saria heard the song and, for just a short moment, forgot all the pains that she felt. She was suddenly in a world filled with wide, open pastures and animals that could not be found in any forest in the world. The song ended quickly, bringing Saria back to the world where her life was in mortal danger.

The wait was short. Link heard in the distance the sound of Pegasus's foul, running on the breath of the wind and coming at a great haste to Link's side. The sound of the hooves brought Saria to the attention of an animal that she had never viewed with her own eyes. An oddly shaped creature whose feet were as hard as the very rock that it walked on at times. Its coat was a color of red and orange and its mane was as white as the snow that covered Hyrule during the winter spells. Its nose was large and the beast snorted as it breathed through the large nostrils. Its tail swung to and fro, hitting any fly or other insect that felt superior enough to try and land on the beast's backside. The eyes were brown and very gentle, almost friendly. The horse both frightened and eased Saria, for she had never viewed such an animal and did not know whether the creature was passing through or had decided to devour her flesh from her bones.

Link went to Epona and patted her mane, making the horse feel at ease. He then held Epona's head gently in his two hands and put his mouth close to her ear.

"Epona," Link said. "I have a request that you must undertake for me and great haste is necessary. The green-haired maiden that lies before us is upon death's door and will pass away if not treated. Rush her to the place of your birth and deliver her to the one that you trust more than any other."

The horse nodded and snorted, signaling to Link that it had accepted the burden that was to be placed upon it. Link rushed to Saria's side and held her in his arms, making her look up into his face.

"Saria," Link said. "This horse shall bear you to a place where you may receive medicine. You must ride upon her back to the location that she shall race for. Hold tightly to her mane and make sure not to fall off. Do you understand all that?"

"Yes," Saria tried to say, but no words did she hear pass through her lips. She no longer had the ability to speak even a letter. Or maybe she no longer had the ability to hear what she said. These thoughts sent a cold shiver throughout her body, making her mind cloud with thoughts of pure fear and death. No longer did she care about the world's safety. No longer did she care about the quest. No longer did she care for even the one who brought her out to this land of death. The only thing that mattered to Saria at that moment was herself.

Link grabbed her frail and burning body and hoisted it onto Epona's back. Saria rested her head upon the soft mound of hair that went up the middle of the horse's neck. Her hands grabbed and held the mane tightly; making the beast she was resting on grunt in protest.

"Now run Epona," Link said. "Run with speed that would bring envy to Pegasus himself. Deliver Saria to the ranch."

With those words Epona left Link's side and ran towards the East. With such speed that Epona ran that Link held hope that Saria may make it to the ranch alive. He watched as the forms of Epona and Saria began to shrink into the horizon, eventually becoming nothing more than dots in the distance, and did not move till the sprinting figures vanished from his sight.

At that moment Link felt alone. A wind, strong yet silent, blew at his back and ruffled his hair. As that wind passed away from his form he believed that, trailing at the very end of that wind, the sound of laughter and carefree children followed it. The sound was almost nonexistent, or maybe it wasn't there; his mind playing tricks on him because of the hell he just witnessed.

He knew that none were near him. As if waiting for just that moment to come about Link, Hero among all men, let the painful tears stream down his face. Silently they fell from his eyes and gathered at the bottom of his chin. Suddenly he let all the pain he was feeling come out in a scream of such misery and sorrow that it would have made any who would of heard it feel not worry or fear, but pity. At that moment Link had become the child that he used to be before his quest across time.

He knew not how long he cried. Whether it was just a few minutes, or a few hours, Link did not know. He cried till his eyes had become as red as Saria's eyes were when she left his side. Never in his life had he ever cried so hard.

When Link gathered himself, although still worried, he looked at the sky above him. The sun still hung at its peak.

Link looked around. The direction of the ranch lay before him. If all calmly and easily he believed he would make it to the ranch by sunset. He grabbed Saria's pack and held it in his hands. He realized now how heavy the pack must have felt to Saria. Just as he started going at a quick pace, forgetting to take the bits of food that remained on the ground, he made a silent prayer for Saria's safety.

"May I be damned to Hell if death comes for Saria," Link muttered to himself.

xxxx

Sweat fell down her forehead and her arms ached with the pain of work. Since the break of dawn till an hour past the sun's peak did she work and was now taking her first break, but such was the hardship of working on a ranch. Ingo, her teacher, had taught her that from an early age about farm work and how to take care of the animals. The ranch work was hard and always very dirty, yet she would not give it up for anything in the world.

Malon looked into the skies and let out a sigh. She could picture what was happening all over the ranch at that exact moment: Her father, Talon, would no doubt be resting in a sack of hay in the house or the horse's stable while Ingo let out a series of inaudible curses while he was cleaning or milking the cows. Life was predictable at the ranch, and yet each day was never the same as the days before. There was always something new to do, be it a new animal to raise or a new crop to plant, harvest or pick. Each plant needed certain care or conditions for it to grow properly. Each cow had to be milked at least once a day and that milk was needed to keep the ranch going, for the King and his daughter would always pay for the milk and they paid well. Without the castle's finances the ranch would no doubt be too expensive to run.

Malon went and sat down in the middle of the horse pasture, her favorite place on the whole ranch. She took an apple and bit down on it, enjoying the taste that it brought to her mouth. Upon finishing her apple, which half she gave to one of the horses, she took a sip of some water that she had brought with her in a wooden cup. She loved the breaks with the horses. It was her favorite part of the day.

"You better get back to work little missy," a voice behind her said. "You know good and well that the ranch needs constant care, or would you rather have it that you would be living in the town of Kakariko where there is not one horse? That will be what happens if you do not take good enough care of that which you care about most, for you will not have enough money to keep the ranch going."

"Yes uncle Ingo," Malon said, now facing the man she looked up to as a second father. "I know good and well that, but I was merely taking a break. I shall get back to work soon and I shall bring a smile to your face as well. What do you wish I do once my strength has returned?"

"I would rather you get back to work now," Ingo said. "And I would rather you go to the horse and cow stable and clean the filth from it. I'll go and awaken your father and have him join you if I can, for I believe if a daughter must do such a filthy thing her father must do such a thing as well. Finish up you water and hurry to the stable. It is already two hours past the sun's peak."

"I will uncle Ingo," Malon said to the figure of her teacher walking back to the house, muttering a few curses while he did so. Malon finished her water and started walking in the direction that Ingo had taken.

She had reached the door to the stable and had heard a sound from behind. She turned to view the form of Epona running to her. Upon Epona's back there laid a figure of that of a girl dressed in green.

Malon quickly ran to the horse to see who she bore to the ranch. Her body chilled when she saw the girl like figure, skin as pale as snow, fall from the horse and land on the ground. Malon, for the briefest moment, believed the girl to be dead. Malon was ready to scream for help when she heard the figure begin to groan in agony and sickness.

Malon ran to the figure. Next to Epona she knelt and picked up Saria's head in her arms. When she saw the girls face she believed the girl was indeed both dead and alive. Her face, as well as the rest of her body, no longer had color of any sort to it. The eyes bore life but no focus on existence. The dark green hair splayed all over her head. Her breathing was slow and not deep. On the edge of her mouth she could tell that the girl had vomited not too long ago; Epona had some of the girl's sickness on the back of her mane.

"Papa," Malon screamed. "Ingo! A girl is here. She looks as if death had taken her soul away and yet she is still alive."

From the house Ingo and Talon run from. Upon reaching the two girls did the men stop running and had knelt down. They both were ready to take the girl indoors when they heard that which brought a weight to their hearts.

"What monsters are ye that have come to take my life away," Saria said in the faintest whisper. "Never had I seen such creatures in my life and I would rather not see them in such an hour that I may be dead. Leave me now monsters that would mimic the Kokiris as the forms of giants and leave me be."

Saria reached up with her right hand, as if to try to hit the strange monsters that loomed over her or to try to pull on something that wasn't there so that she may be able to stand again. Yet her strength gave in at that moment and her mind began to lose consciousness. Even as her arm began to fall from the place that it hung and her eyes began to shut themselves from the world, a bright light shown forth through the back of her hand and did not blind or give out any warmth. This light brought Saria fear and happiness for her at that very moment. She began to feel stronger and happier. For whatever reason, she began to think of Link.

Saria's eyes closed and she knew no more.


	6. Book One, Chapter Six

Hi everyone. I apologize for the time it took to upload it. I realized the first version wouldn't work so I was forced to revise the entire story. And I'm not all too pleased as to how this revision turned out either. I don't think it is nearly as good as the other chapters. Please keep reviewing and keep enjoying the story. I do not own Zelda or any of the game's characters. I do own the characters that I make up and use in this story and/or any other story I may write. If anyone wishes to use them the author(s) must ask my permission to do so and explain how the character will be used. Failure to do this, or usage of character upon denying permission from me, will be brought to the attention of the administrators of this site. Thank you for understanding. Enjoy the story.

**Book One, Chapter Six: The Stay at Lon-Lon Ranch**

A sudden sting of light hit Saria's closed eyes and brought her back to the waking world, if only in a state of weariness. Her eyes, not half-open, took in her surroundings. To her right lay a desk or table that held a vase with two flowers in it. A window, its shutters open, stared at her from the front of whatever bed she was lying on and greeted its gazer with a bright glow from the sun, now rising from the east. To her right was a wall that was covered with a coating of white paint; or was the white coating actually the color of the wood that the wall was built from? Above her, just a few feet under the peak of the roof, a wooden beam lay horizontally in the air, its ends attached to opposite ends of the room so as to support the roof's shape. On top of her body lay two covers, the top cover being much thicker than the cover that touched her form, and below her lay a comfortable bed which she had been lying on.

She remembered all that had happened. She recalled how her body had seemed to give up on her after she had left the Kokiri Forest. She recalled her desperate flight on a beast which ran at a speed so fast that all her surroundings had become nothing but blurs to her eyes. She recalled how she had become surrounded by three monsters and her seeing a bright light in the skies just before her consciousness gave up on her. She remembered all this; a cold fright swept through her body and mind from recalling all that had happened within such a short period of time. Yet she asked herself something. A question that was somewhat frightening to ask.

"How is it that I am still among the living," Saria questioned to nobody in particular. "I would think that falling prey to a curse that would invite death to any who feel its effects and would have freed thy soul from thy body; yet still among the living I seem to be."

"Indeed such is a wise question to ask," a voice of much happiness and relief said from her side. "I had questioned that which you have just spoken of many times since my arrival to this sanctuary. I have also wondered if thou would live from such a burden as you had unwillingly taken up; and each time I had recognized such a question I would weep for you."

"I am glad to see thee at thy side," Saria said to Link after facing him. "Although I am sure much time has passed since my departure from the waking world and wish to know how long it has been since I have last looked at thou features."

"The cycle of two days have passed," Link said. "Yet the feel of countless moons have passed through thy mind. Much has happened that I wish to tell ye, but my tongue shall be held for the moment as now is not such a time to ruin such a gay moment as this."

"You need not feel such heartache for thyself," Saria said. "Awake I am and have much to ask thee."

"Now is not the time for asking much," Link said. "We shall first feast upon what food shall be offered to us. During that time you may ask me or any of the caretakers of whatever worries or questions that you have. Come with me now to the place where we shall feast. Have you the strength to walk upon thou legs?"

Saria removed the covers from her body and was surprised to see that a white dress, somewhat worn and torn in various places, was upon her body and her old tunic from the Kokiri tribe was nowhere to be seen. Putting aside such unnecessary worry Saria threw her legs over the side of the bed and let her feet touch the wood floor. From that she stood and noticed that her strength had returned to her and that not a trace of weariness was left of her. If anything, she felt as if she had grown stronger during her time of unconsciousness.

"I am glad to see that ye have recovered thou strength," Link said.

Link opened the door that was on the right side of the room. Saria noted that the door lead to the top of a staircase that had several steps on it, yet no banister was there to prevent a fall or to help keep distance from the edge of the steps. Below the steps, on the first floor, a table was placed in the middle of a wide room that had four chairs drawn to it. On the table, in front of each chair, there were wooden bowls of what appeared to be porridge. At one of these chairs there sat a small girl, roughly the size of a full-grown Kokiri. She had on a matching white dress that was even more worn out than the one Saria had on. Her hair was long and its color reminded Saria of a strong fire. Her eyes were as deep a blue as Saria's were and were full of happiness when she saw that the green haired girl was able to move again.

Link stopped walking a few feet away from the table and looked at the girl with the fire-red hair.

"Saria," Link said. "I would like you to meet the one who took care of ye the most. Her name is Malon. She was the one who taught me the song needed to tame Epona, the horse that brought you here to the ranch."

"I am glad to see that thou are well again," Malon said. "Are thou still under the strain of any illness, regardless as to how minor it may be?"

"I feel not the strain that I bore to this ranch," Saria said. "I must thank ye for helping thyself survive the curse that was placed upon thy body and soul. Is there anything that I may do in order to repay thou for helping me?"

"Ask not such a request," Malon said. "I shall not accept any repayment for what I have done. You may feel better, but that does not mean that you may succumb once again to the illness or curse that ye have felt. All that I ask is for you to get well and able again to continue whatever journey that you may be on."

"Has Link mentioned of any such quest," Saria asked.

"I must apologize," Malon said "It appears that thy vernacular is somewhat different from the one that ye speak. It is just a formal expression of hoping that ye may be able to live the way that thou have lived before."

"I thank thee," Saria said.

The door that led to the outside opened at that moment and two tall figures entered the room. One of them was tall and had a full head of hair with a bushy mustache just under his nose. His figure was slim, but strong. The other was somewhat shorter and did not have nearly as much hair covering his crown and made up for it by having hair growing on many other places of his body, most noticeably his chest and arms, but his mustache was similar to the thinner man's mustache. His figure was more round and bulky, but much strength was there behind such girth that many knights feared to fight him.

Saria didn't know how to view these beings. Some of the features resembled the Kokiri, yet their height was at least twice that of even the tallest among the Kokiri tribe and they had hair growing on many places of their body. Saria feared the creatures and seemed to reach for her sword as a reflex; yet her sword, as well as her shield and the rest of her supplies, were not upon her body.

"It looks like our little guest has awoken," the rounder one said. "I am glad to see that she survived whatever ordeal or sickness that took hold of her."

"Why is it that we must be the ones to take care of such a kid," the thinner one said. "Diseased she may be and I do not wish to have thyself or any of the animals sickly. This part of the month is when the cows are most productive in their milking and with such a girl here may cause them to have dry udders."

"I am glad to see that ye two have arrived at such a time," Link said. "Saria, they are the other two who have overseen you and your illness. The one with a size that can match any Goron is known as Talon. The other one is known as Ingo."

Talon walked to Saria and held out an open hand for her. Saria, somewhat hesitantly, held out her own hand in return and allowed the tall being to grasp her hand and shake it. Saria couldn't believe how much of her hand just seemed to vanish in his closed fist and she could feel the strength that this man held; even with a blade, she held doubt that it would do much against one with such bulk and strength. He let go of her hand and went to take a seat at the table. Ingo passed Saria without pausing to shake her hand and took the seat closest to the door.

"Malon," Talon said. "Would ye be a dearest and fetch another bowl for our now awakened guest?"

Malon got up and left through the door that Ingo and Talon came through just seconds ago. As she left it occurred to Saria just how much stronger that girl must have been than herself. She was unsure how she knew such a thing, but she was certain that Malon had strength that could easily match Saria's own.

"_What brought such a thought as that to thy mind," _Saria thought.

"So are ye just going to stand there," Ingo said. "If thou does desire to eat than I must ask that ye grab a chair and bring it to the table. If not, than please do something other than block the table with thou sickly body."

"Such things should not be said," Link said. "Heed not what Ingo says. His words are indeed bitter at times, yet his soul is kind and caring if thou give him a chance."

Saria found a chair near the stairs and brought it to the table. Just as she was sitting down Malon came through the doorway with a bowl in her hands. She walked up to Saria and placed the bowl in front of her. Up close, Saria could now tell that the food was more oatmeal than porridge.

"Did thou sleep well," Talon asked after taking a bite of his food.

"I am really unsure," Saria asked. "It did not feel like sleeping. I am unsure how to tell of what it was that I felt, for I cannot recall what it was that I felt in my time of rest and unconsciousness."

"I doubt what you went through would be called rest," Link said. "I had barely left thou side during your time of unconsciousness and I saw the pain that your body was forced to bear, even if thou could not truly feel it."

"Is it true that thou have not left thy side," Saria asked.

"I would not say with full truth that Link did not leave thou side during all the time that ye two have been here," Malon said. "He did leave at times when he felt it necessary to do so, but all his spare time has indeed been left at thou bedside. Such pain was in his eyes that I could only recall of that when thy father had thy mother pass on and of much caring was in his soul that only a truly holy man could match. At times I would sneak a look within the room and see Link weep at thou side and my heart felt much pity for him and thou, but the look that I now see within his eyes resemble that of a child who has opened a present to find a toy that they have always desired to play with."

"I would rather thou wouldn't say things that cause thyself to feel embarrassment and flushed at the cheeks," Link said. "But it is true that I did not leave thou side, for I felt that it was partially thy own fault that ye fell under such a curse."

"Be it far from me to express thy own opinion," Talon said. "But the moment that we now share should not be used to discuss events that could be upsetting to the small green haired child that sits before us. Let us eat and be joyful for her waking and healing."

"A grand idea if I have ever heard one," Link said.

"Indeed that would be the best plan for now," Saria said. "But I would rather I learn of some events that have happened by today's nightfall."

"And I shall be more than happy to answer thou questions," Link said. "But for now, let us not worry of such matters that can be held off for a later time. Let us eat to our fill and drink all that we may hold."

xxxx

Night had fallen on the land that is known as Hyrule. In Kakariko Village the guard had been placed for the nightly watch and all residence had been placed into their shelters for the night, waiting ever patiently for the dawn to come. In Kokiri Forest the Kokiri had gone about playing their games and were enjoying the cool temperatures of the night. In Hyrule Castle Town all the stands had been emptied of any patrons and all the stores had locked their doors for the night; the people who lived in this area of Hyrule, the wealthy merchant class and the landholding upper class, closed their doors for the night and would not open them now for even a beggar asking for a few rupees or a place of rest. In Hyrule Castle the King made preparations to travel to the far south of his kingdom to settle a peace treaty that was to end the long war with the neighboring kingdom of Torral. The princess looked upon the triangular markings on the back of her hand and understood now why Saria was to leave the protection of the forest on such a dangerous quest.

In most areas of the Hylian kingdom the night brought about a time of peace. The people of the land gave little heed to the poor and the beggars who could not obtain shelter and would go about their nightly actions before drifting off to their dreams or nightmares of late and rest the night while the knights of the kingdom kept a watch from their posts to see that no thieves or Gerudo were causing whatever chaos that they felt making. Such was the way Hyrule had gone about for countless of centuries and would most likely go about for another countless of centuries.

Yet this part of the tale is not about such things. This part is to tell of the actions that had taken place between the times of Saria's arrival at the ranch to the time of her waking.

xxxx

While Saria had been rushed to the ranch by the ever trusting Epona, Link had been left behind in Hyrule Field so that he may carry the burden of Saria's pack with him to the ranch. He desired much speed, for he knew that to keep a slow pace and to delay any time fighting the nightly spirits would mean that he would be forced to abandon the supplies he had bought for the long journey. He, in fact, cared not about the supplies at all; he cared about Saria and the quest. To be caught in a fight would mean to delay his arrival at the ranch, and no time could be spared.

For several hours Link carried Saria's supplies. He carried them not on his back, for the supplies he had decided on carrying was already placed there and his pack could not hold any more supplies. During that time the sun had traveled its course around the sky and, just as the ranch had become within his sight, the last of the sun's rays vanished in the horizon.

If one were to ever truly wish to encounter the nightlife of Hyrule and see excitement then one would have to journey beyond the protection of Hyrule's guards and knights and brave the night within Hyrule Fields. The fields were cursed long ago and even to this day the long dead still rise to the sound of any who may stray from any path in the fields so that the dead can send the fool down into the grave so that they too may join the ranks of the rising dead.

Such was the case during this night, for Link had taken the risk to travel during the night in Hyrule Fields and was now forced to drop all supplies on the ground, just a stone's throw away from Lon-Lon Ranch, so he may draw forth his sword and shield and engage in the battles that the undead would bring. His sword cut through the air and cleaved the head of the stalchild that stood before his place of destination, where Saria would be.

"Step from my front creature of the night," Link said. "If you do not heed my warning I shall be forced to strike ye down with my blade of old. Does ye accept a peaceful defeat or does ye accept the welcoming of a second death?"

The stalchild, now headless and blind, stepped forth and brought his fleshless hand above where his head would normally sit. The hand came down in a wide arch, aiming for the center of Link's chest. Link sidestepped the attack with much skill and watched as the stalchild lost its balance from such a strong attack. Link swung his sword in a horizontal strike and severed the middle of the spinal cord, breaking through the right arm of the un-dead creature and cracking the radius of the now useless left arm. The creature, bested and defeated, lay as a shapeless pile of bones that held no life or meaning. Blue flames consumed the spoils of the creature, sending it back to the fields that lay under Link's feet, so that it may rise again when its shattered body reconstructed itself, ready to take on the next traveler that was foolish enough to walk off the path during the moon's time in the heavens.

In its defeat a rupee shone forth, yet it was ignored by the victor as Link ran with all his might, sword and shield in hand, to his companion's resting place. Even as he passed through the archway that led to the ranch his mind became filled with much worry and dread. He knew not of Saria's condition or of how the three ranch hands have handled such an unexpected guest.

Link ran with all haste and found himself looking upon the structures of the ranch. In the dim moonlight the ranch seemed barren and silent, as if none had lived within its protective gates for centuries. Crows of countless numbers flew high overhead, cawing as they did so. Some of the scavenger birds took rest from their weary wings on top of the stable and house. From far away was the sound of an owl crying out in the night, signaling the departure of one's spirit from the plane of the living.

Link returned his shield to its resting spot on his back and sheathed his sword to his scabbard that now lay attached to his side. As he did so the door to the house had opened up and spilled light onto the ground outside. A figure, as tall as Link, strode forth from the house and shut the door. The faint moonlight made most characteristics about the person hidden from Link's skilled eyes, yet the lava-colored hair shone brightly enough for Link to know who it was that had walked before him. Link took no patience in reaching Malon's side.

For the next several minutes Malon and Link talked. What they said exactly is of little importance to the story so I shall not document it. They talked about Saria and her condition. From what Malon said, Link learned that Saria was still alive; yet her soul, her life, was fading rapidly and at any moment she may die.

Link wasted no more time. He all but knocked the door off its hinges and rushed up the stairs. Ingo was downstairs and yelled something at him, yet Link took no heed of it and did not stop to hear what it was that was yelled. He opened the door at the top and saw Talon washing Saria's forehead with a cold, damp cloth.

Part of Link nearly died right there. It was good that Link had taken the time to talk momentarily with Malon; had he not, he would not believe for even a second that Saria was alive at this point. Her skin had become chalk white and it looked for a moment that she was not breathing, but that was due to the fact that she was lying under the covers of the bed. No longer did her body move from the pain that she felt, for her mind had closed off all forms of consciousness; even in her deep sleep, she could not hear even the loudest of sounds or feel the strongest of hits. In all respects, Saria should have been dead. Saria should have died many hours ago and fallen into eternal rest; yet something was keeping her alive, something that only she possessed.

Link took no heed of Talon's presence and went right to Saria's side. Up close, seeing her now, she looked beautiful, like a sleeping princess that could wake with the slightest kiss from a prince. Link wanted to hold Saria right there. He wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be alright, even if she could not feel his hug or hear his words; yet his body refused to respond.

During this time Talon had left the room, understanding that Link needed to be alone with her. When Link noticed that he was alone, he rested his head on the bed and hid his face in his arms while he wept. It is unknown for how long that he did weep, but he only stopped when his mind fell into the unconsciousness of sleep. Even as he slept, silent tears passed through his closed lids and landed on the covers that Saria rested under.

For the remainder of the next day Link sat by Saria's side. He ate nothing during that time and he drank nothing either. Every now and then he would hear the sound of the door opening behind him, yet never did he look in its direction. His gaze was fixed on Saria's sleeping form and refused to move for any other reason. Occasionally one of the ranch hands would come in and wash Saria's forehead with a damp cloth and during such time they would try to engage with a conversation with Link, save for Ingo that is. Every time they spoke it was as if they were speaking in another form, for Link heeded not their words and barely knew if they were talking. His attention was for Saria alone.

It was during this night that Malon entered into the room with a bottle that appeared to be full of a blue liquid. For the first time Link shifted his gaze from Saria to Malon. The red-haired girl put Saria into a sitting position on the bed, opened the bottle and poured the blue liquid gently into green-haired girl's mouth. She knew well enough that to pour too quickly may cause her to choke and she did not wish any harm to come upon the sickly child that rested before her. With care and patience did Malon use to pour the liquid, stopping when she had reason to believe that enough was within the girl's mouth and would not give any more till the liquid went down her throat. For nearly ten minutes did the process take. When it was done, Saria did indeed look well. Her color seemed to return to her skin and her body had become warmer than it was just a short time ago. Link thanked Malon as she left the room.

Link rested on the floor and his dreams were not clear to him, for he would forget them when he awoke the next morning, just in time to see Saria awaken from her long rest. Even as he fell into the realm of sleep and dreams he knew in his heart that Saria would be well and able to continue the quest by the next day. With this, his heart and worries were set at ease.

xxxx

The past several days passed without any problems. During that time Saria had become perfectly well and was able to do much training that was missed over the course of her days in a sickly rest.

No longer did Saria train with a deku stick, nor did she train by herself; she now trained with the sword she had gotten from Mido, which she had named 'Bane,' and the knight's shield that Link bought from the Hyrule Castle Town Market. To see that Saria was ready for any unexpected combat, the two heroes did small sparring sessions every day for several hours. Even though it was just simple sparring, although not simple most times, it was almost like a real fight for Saria, for she could not compare with Link's skill and strength. Several times did she take small injuries during the fights, but she learned from her mistakes and grew stronger in places where she was once weak.

For Saria, the hardest thing to adjust to was the weight and length of the sword in comparison with the deku sticks she trained with in Kokiri Forest. Bane was shorter than the sticks, only half the size (if not, a little shorter) of a deku stick in length from the tip of the blade to the bottom of the hilt, but its weight was somewhat heavier than the deku sticks, even though it was made of a light metal. This caused many of her horizontal cuts to go wide and slow and her vertical cuts to go just as wide but with increased speed from gravity's pull. Her vertical slice was so fast that for the first day of training many of her attacks hit the ground with such strength that her right arm often became numb.

Even though the sparring was difficult and the cuts and bruises hurt, Saria fought on with Link and did prove to be a very fast learner. By the third day of training she showed much improvement that made Link begin to take the sessions very seriously. Her vertical and horizontal attacks were respectable, even skillful, for one that rarely ever did hold a blade in her hands. Her attacks became faster and her aim became as accurate as Link's.

Time went by fast during these sessions and only did they ever end their training once the last of the sun's rays had vanished to the west and left the view of all in Hyrule. When this occurred the two would eat whatever meal that was offered to them by Malon and Talon and then retire to the quarters that Saria had spent her sickly time at and dream whatever dreams that came to their closed eyes.

This is not to say that is all they ever did during their stay at the ranch. Link and Saria did little jobs around the ranch to earn their stay, much to the disagreement of Malon and Talon and much to the agreement of Ingo. Link took the jobs that were required within the stable, which he despised greatly. The jobs of cleaning the shed of the animal's filth and washing the same animals that rolled around in that same filth often brought Link to lose whatever meal he had eaten before-hand and was hard to do when the animals refused to take any bath that was needed to keep them clean. On one occasion Link had received the business end of a horse's hove when he went to clean the backside of the animal; Link walked away with a bloody nose.

Saria's job was to work with Malon to take care of the animals and to see to it that the animals did not bother one another. This job proved to be very difficult for her, especially with the chickens and baby chicks as they were prone to walk anywhere at any time. Every time she took this job she had to count the number of each animal at the end of the day and make sure none of them went missing. Many times she had to spend most of the night looking for one or two baby chicks that seemed to of ran off and hidden themselves somewhere on the ranch. Even upon finding the animals, which was hard enough, she would often have to run after it in the hopes of catching it and putting it back to whatever stable or coop that it would have to take shelter in.

Time passed very quickly for the two heroes and the day finally came when they were ready to leave for Hyrule Castle. The land of Hyrule was bathed with the light from the morning sun and open to a clear, orange colored sky on that morning.

Link and Saria had packed what few supplies they had left on the back of Talon's supply carriage (the supplies Saria was supposed to carry, as you recall, were dropped by Link when he engaged in battle and the supplies were lost to whatever foul beast or bandits that came across the fallen goods). Talon would drive them to the castle grounds, as he was scheduled to go there on that day to deliver milk. The two heroes saw how they could use this situation to get into the castle grounds; by aiding Talon with his milk delivery the two of them would be allowed to go to the very entrance of the castle and all they would have to do was try to find princess Zelda before they get caught. Link and Saria also knew that, if they were able to find the princess and not be caught by the royal guards, Zelda would have her guardian, Impa, take them out of the castle undetected. They were unsure of what may occur if they were caught, but they decided not to worry about it; if worse came to worse, they would just have to fight their way out.

"Time that ye got on the wagon now," Talon said. "I'm on schedule and it's a full half-day's ride to the castle. If I'm late delivering the castle's milk I'll have to sell it at a discount price."

"Understood," Link said. "Come Saria. We must go now and see the princess Zelda. She may be the only one who may be able to tell us as to where we must go next."

Link and Saria gave their quick goodbyes to Malon and Ingo, which Ingo really didn't show too much care about. Just before leaving, Malon went to Link and Saria.

"Before ye two leave the ranch," Malon said. "I want ye to accept some milk from the ranch. You may keep the bottles and use it to store whatever potions or items ye may need once the milk runs out. Be careful on thou quest."

Link and Saria thanked Malon and accepted the two bottles of milk. They promised that, if they ever return to Hyrule, they would be sure to visit the ranch.

Link and Saria hoisted themselves on to the back of the wagon. The wagon was very spacious, considering it was filled with crate upon crate of milk. It would be pulled by two horses and go at a very relaxed speed. Talon could not risk the horses going fast and having the crates fall here and there, breaking the lovely milk that was inside each one. Talon, of course would ride up front and control the horses.

"Are ye two ready," Talon asked.

"We are ready to go Talon," Link said. "Let us hope nothing happens along the way to risk the lovely milk that ye worked so hard to deliver."

"Indeed," Talon responded. "Let us be off."

Talon used the reigns to signal the horses to move. The horses started at a good pace, considering the weight they were carrying. Saria, who did not sit when the horses started moving, lost her balance and fell on the wagon, forcing Link to hold back a laugh at the situation. The wagon made its way out of the ranch property, entering the Hyrule Field.

Link and Saria were honest when they stated that they would return to the ranch when they return to Hyrule. The two heroes, however, knew that never again would they look upon the faces of Malon and Ingo. They also knew that once the milk was delivered to the castle that would be the last they would ever see of Talon. The two heroes knew fully well that they would never return to Hyrule after leaving it. Something told them that this quest would be their end.

The wagon continued its trip to Hyrule Castle.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi. Keep reading and reviewing. Mention this story to any you think would like it and would possibly review it. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. And I'd like to thank all those that reviewed this story. If not for them, I don't think I would be so willing to continue the story; so, everybody, please review, be it good or bad. Also, I realized recently that I was using the term 'thy' wrong. I found out it stands in place for the word 'your.' I just want to point this out so everyone understands the difference in use. I also apologize to any who understood what the word meant and had confusion about it. Delayed by hurricane Dennis. I do not own Zelda or the characters in the Zelda series. I own the characters I make up. Contact me if any author(s) wish to use my characters in their stories. If they do not, and they use my characters anyway, I will bring it up with the administrators of the site. Thank you. Enjoy.

**Book One, Chapter Seven: The Delivery and The Castle **

Saria's eyes were deep with absorption of what she was seeing. Never in all her life would she have been able to imagine such a place as the one she was passing through. From the men in armor, with sharp metal on the ends of their sticks, to the men trying to gather many patrons to his stand in the hope of selling or auctioning a few more heads of lettuce before nightfall came; from the many wealthy women, who's wallets have become obese and slightly torn open with rupees, to those few that had but tattered and dirtied cloths to cover their flesh, with outstretched arms and open hands, begging for a few rupees or something as common and rare as a piece of bread; from the many buildings that reached high into the sky, with bricks and rocks that were set almost perfectly in place, to the few that looked on the verge of collapsing from the slightest blow of wind. Everywhere she looked, from the back of the horse drawn milk-carriage, something new and wondrous was happening.

All was new to her. All was old to her. She never seen such excitement for mundane activities in all her life, yet she could recall the times when the Kokiri Shop was full of Kokiri and many had also been excited. These people, these Hylians, were different; not because they were much taller than the Kokiris, but because they were able to show a much broader range of excitement. A more sophisticated and mature level of excitement.

She wanted to jump out of the carriage. She wanted to see all that there was to see in this town of brick and wood and feel all the excitement that was felt in this town. All seemed good to her and all felt good to her.

This journey, however, will soon teach her many things; one of them being the hard facts of life and the difficulty of people rich and poor. She will learn that all wealthy kingdoms and towns, including Hyrule, did have much money, but only a select few would ever have a good portion of the wealth. She would learn that for everyplace that had a high standard of living, there would be a gap within the social class and as more money is put into these wealthy kingdoms or towns, be it by the wealthy kings and queens releasing more money or by the winning of a war, gaining territory and the spoils of victory, the gap shall grow ever larger. She will also learn that, even with the release of more money, the already wealthy will get most of it, leaving but the few remains of it for the poor. She will learn that this is true everywhere she goes.

She could not have noticed it in Hyrule, at least not at the moment, for she was traveling through the wealthy districts of the market where few poor people ever go except to beg for rupees and food. If she were to ever look hard enough, which wouldn't really be that hard, she would eventually come across the poor section, the slums, and see the depressing side of Hyrule where people had to wear worn out cloths that exposed much flesh to the hot days and cold nights. Where mothers and fathers, who could not find any work because of the fact that they were already poor and dirty, had to do anything they could to put what small pieces of food that they could buy, find or steal in their children's mouths.

She would also see the problems of the rich, which were slightly different and slightly similar to the poor. She would see that the poor worry about their ability to make money and improve their status within their town or community while the rich worry about their ability to keep their money and their status within their town or community. She would see the rich trying desperately to keep their standards and reputations high, so much so that they would turn down a poor person who wants to work for them because that person would have driven off customers with all the dirt and filth that they had. She would realize that she had to pity the poor person who is denied a job and has to do what they can for a living and also understand that the wealthy tavern owner had to let that poor person go to keep the tavern open and keep money in their pockets so that they could keep their family living as well as they were used to.

This journey would make Saria always think of the other side of something and make her realize that not everything is one-sided, something very few people ever truly realize. She would see wealthy districts and think about the slums that are somewhere close by and she would see slums and wonder about the wealthy districts. She would realize that, as different as the two districts are and as different as those who live in these districts are, they are all similar and have their own needs and worries all the time.

Saria turned to Link, with much eagerness and carefree in her mind and spirit, oblivious to the philosophical thoughts she would one day have. Link looked at Saria and a smile came to his face and, for just a brief moment, he forgot the reasons for his coming to Hyrule Castle.

"Such excitement I see now that I have never seen in all my life," Saria said. "I am filled with a feeling of excitement and glee that my ability to contain myself is lost. I so wish to walk among these people and view their wares for myself."

"I can recall such a feeling," Link said. "Of such wonder and excitement that I first held when I saw all that there was within this market that I nearly had the urge to spend my rupees till I could feel the bottom of my wallet. With all that I saw and felt I forgot my reasons for leaving the Kokiri Forest for several hours and I only recalled my reasons when the stands emptied and the guards were posted. We may spend some time here and see all that there may be to view, maybe even buy some wears that we may need, but we must first speak to the princess Zelda."

"That is true," Saria said. "I just hope that the princess will be able to grant an audience with us and that we may not be thrown into whatever dungeon that may seal our quest."

"I do not fear the dungeons as much as I fear the sword, spear and arrow of the royal guards," Link said. "To meet the princess and learn more of our quest, we must first sneak into the royal castle and hope that we may not be seen by any guard that is allowed to slay anyone foolish enough to attempt such an act. If we are seen by any guard we must flee the castle and try to learn of our quest in another manner. If necessary, we may have to stain our swords."

"Do ye truly think it will come to that," Saria asked, concern and fear edging into her voice.

"I am unsure," Link said. "I just hope it doesn't come to that. And if it does, I fear of what may happen to the Lon-Lon Ranch. Talon brought us here and, if we are found within the castle, the castle guard and the king may wish to know why he brought us to the castle."

"I wish that not to happen," Saria said.

"Ye feel what I feel as well," Link said. "But we cannot avoid our actions at this point. We must reach the princess Zelda and we must not be seen. Let us not think of the 'what if' parts and focus on what we know."

"Agreed," Saria said.

"If worse comes to worse," Link said. "We would have to fight off the guards. I just hope that neither of us is slain if that does happen."

An uncomfortable silence was held between them after that. Neither spoke a word as the milk carriage made its way to the castle that overlooked the market of the wealthy. The only sounds to greet their ears during that time were the sound of the milk bottles hitting one another in their crates, producing a clanking sound, excited stand owners trying to urge other patrons to their stand and the sound of the horse hooves as they made their way from the stone-paved market to the dirt-covered path that lead to the entrance of the Castle Grounds.

xxxx

"What business do ye have at the castle at such an hour as this," the gate guard asked.

"I am Talon of the Lon-Lon Ranch," Talon said. "I have come on an errand to deliver to the castle the monthly supply of milk for the royal family and their servants and guards."

"I have heard word that a delivery was scheduled for the castle," the guard said. "But I must inspect thy carriage to make sure that ye speak the truth. If ye deny this search, then I cannot allow you or thy carriage to pass any further."

"I understand," Talon said. "Feel free to search the carriage and any crates that I have back there."

The guard left his post at the gate and made his way to the back of the carriage. The sound of armor clinking with every footstep put a feeling of worry and unease with Link and Saria. Only a short time ago did they realize the one flaw with their plan: their weapons. Certainly the castle guards would not allow any who bore tools for fighting to enter the castle grounds. If the guard did see their weapons, which were now hidden under the many crates, he may be forced to bear his weapons at the two heroes, and Talon as well, and bring them into the castle dungeon for questioning.

Link's mind was weighing the options he had carefully. He realized that he could not take his sword to the knight no matter what; not because he wished not to harm the knight, but he knew that, to strike this knight, would mean their deaths. He knew, even felt, that many hidden archers were poised and ready to send an arrow flying if anything were to happen and they would kill all three of them.

He also knew that, if the weapons were found, they would be confiscated while the two heroes were questioned. No doubt, even after the questioning, they would not get their swords or other weapons back. Link had grown too attached to his sword to give it up so easily.

'_I suppose the only thing to do is let him search,' _Link thought. _'If he doesn't find the weapons, then we will not get into trouble. And trying to act in any manner right now would seem too suspicious. Let us hope he doesn't find the weapons I and Saria brought.'_

A spear was the first thing that came to the view of Link and Saria. Following the spear was a tall man clad in Hyrulian armor (armor that bore the symbol of the Triforce). A helmet shadowed his head above the nose and made it impossible to see his eyes, yet Link felt those eyes looking at him and Saria.

"These two children that have been brought here with you," the guard yelled to Talon. "For what reasons are they here for? I was not informed of thou needing any assistance to deliver milk."

"Talon is delivering a much larger quantity of milk today," Link interrupted, masking his voice, which was often strong and somewhat cold from many battles, with the voice of an innocent child with much excitement; his smile matched how he sounded. "He said he could not deliver the crates in time on his own and he needed two hands to deliver all the crates. Me and Saria agreed to go with him to the castle so that we would have the chance to see the king and princess."

"Yeah," Saria said, catching on to what Link was trying to do. "I have always wanted to see the king and princess of Hyrule and was ever so happy when Talon said he needed help delivering the milk. I hope ever so much to see them."

"It does my heart and mind well to see young children taking on responsibilities," the guard said. "But I doubt that ye two shall meet the king or princess. The king is in the neighboring land of Torral to sign a peace treaty and the princess should be within the inner castle, which grants admittance only to those that are members of the royal family, the royal and castle guards, diplomats from other kingdoms and those of the noble class. As farm hands, I doubt ye two shall be allowed an audience with Lady Zelda."

"I understand," Link said, allowing depression to enter his voice. "But I do hope to catch just a small sighting of her from the castle windows."

"I'm sure ye will," the guard said, though only to humor the two children. He did not believe they would see the princess at all. "I see not any weapons within this carriage and it is rather clear that the crates are filled with many bottles of milk."

The guard looked back to his post where another guard had been waiting quietly and patiently for any sign of trouble. "The carriage is clean of weapons and danger. Open the gates and allow the three ranch hands to enter."

The second guard left the post he was standing at and walked to the other side of the gate. After reaching the other side he looked to his right and reached down to his hip. From his hip he removed a large key, too big to open an average door. He took the key and unlocked gate; the gate unlocking sounded loud. He grabbed hold of the gate and pulled it back in the direction of his post, making the gate vanish into a hidden part of the guard post. Upon reaching his post again the second guard gave the sign to enter the castle grounds.

Talon grabbed hold of the reigns and led his horses forward. The carriage started to slowly pick up speed until it reached the speed it was traveling at earlier. Once the carriage passed the guard post the first guard gave a silent signal to the second guard. The second guard started to pull the gate back to its original place. Link and Saria lost sight of the guards before the gate was back to where it originally rests.

Link and Saria both let out a sigh of relief. They had made it to the Castle Grounds and were now heading to the castle. All they would have to do now was help Talon deliver the milk and try to find a way into the castle itself and find Zelda. Link was glad that he spoke to the guard. After all, he did say the king was in a neighboring country and the princess was indeed within the castle. With the king gone, the guard around and within the castle would no doubt have been made smaller in number and would be somewhat easier to penetrate. The castle would, of course, not be easy to enter or leave, but the leaving of the king would make things easier nonetheless.

xxxx

"This be the last milk crate that needs delivering," Talon said from within the milk carriage, not noticing the exhaustion Link and Saria felt.

Link and Saria couldn't be happier with hearing those words that came from Talon, but the aching of their muscles and the sweat that covered their bodies made the showing of enjoyment almost impossible. For nearly an hour they had been laboring with the milk crates and now had a true feeling of what a 'hard day's work' meant. Each crate that was given from Talon to the two children had unimaginable weight to it and took all the strength that Link and Saria had to lift and move it. Talon, however, showed only the smallest amount of sweat and wasn't even breathing hard from lifting the crates. He was able to lift the crates, which probably weighed about two-hundred pounds each, as if he was lifting an empty bucket that would soon be filled with water.

Link found new respect for the large ranch owner that evening. Whenever he saw Talon sleeping in a large pile of hay (or anything else he could find that would put him to sleep) while Malon and Ingo worked hard on the ranch, which was pretty much every time he did see him, Link always thought _'I do hope I never end up that lazy. Seems a sin to be as lazy as Talon, even if he is a generous man.' _Now though, seeing Talon lift those heavy crates with ease while he and Saria struggled to lift the crates that were handed to them, Link felt he had mistaken his impression on the ranch hand. After all, nobody ever gets strong by sleeping all the time.

Talon handed the crate to Link and Saria. The weight of the crate pulled Link and Saria towards the ground with great force, yet they gained control of the crate just as their fingers brushed the brick ground beneath them. Using what little strength they had left, they carried the crate over with the other crates that were delivered that evening. Even though carrying this last crate felt like an eternity to Link and Saria it only took about half a minute.

They let the crate rest on the ground once it had reached its destination. Link and Saria, tired and exhausted, let themselves drop to the ground and rest. For nearly fifteen minutes Link and Saria rested, the only sounds ever greeting their ears being the large mouthfuls of air that they were taking in and their shields which scratched the ground they were now lying on (Link and Saria put their equipment back on after the carriage made its final stop to the side of the castle).

Link was the first to stand up and look around. The sun had nearly vanished beyond the horizon and the first stars began appearing in the twilight sky. He looked back at the carriage and saw that Talon had fallen asleep within the carriage, his snores finally reaching Link's ears. His head hanged over the carriage end and the sight was so funny that Link had to keep himself from laughing; he didn't want to attract any guards that may be within range of hearing.

He suddenly saw the benefit of the situation. If Talon did sleep the whole night and left in the morning the guards at the entrance to the Castle Grounds wouldn't be the same as the ones they had met earlier and, therefore, would not feel that something was wrong with Link and Saria not being in the carriage. He was glad that Talon had fallen asleep; it would finally be of use to him and not something he would have to overcome so that he could continue with his journey.

Saria had gotten up just as Link noticed the benefits of Talon being asleep. She noticed Talon being asleep but thought nothing of it. She understood the feeling and wished she could fall asleep right there as well, but she and Link couldn't do that. There was work to be done.

The two made their way quietly to the spot where the moat made a turn at the corner of the castle. Two guards were standing in front of the Castle Entrance. The drawbridge was up and nobody could get into the castle unless the drawbridge was down (the waterway at the side of the castle had been covered by bars a while back and nobody could get through it now). The leaver to open the drawbridge was on the other side of the castle, past the two guards. Link saw no way around it. He and Saria would have to fight off the two guards and open the drawbridge. This would bring attention to them, but he saw little else they could do.

"Saria," Link said in a whisper. "We are going to have to fight the two guards who are standing in front of the drawbridge. Draw thy blade and move fast; we can't risk drawing more attention to us than we are going to by lowering the drawbridge. I know all the entrances to the castle have been sealed long ago and the drawbridge is the only means of entering the castle."

"I do not believe that to be the only entrance to the castle young Link and Saria," a voice said to them, which Link recognized immediately.

Link turned around to face the woman who had startled him and frightened Saria.

"What do thou mean," Link asked. "Is there a way in the castle that I have overlooked?"

"Indeed there is, but I would not expect you and thy companion to know of such an entrance. Few people have learned such a thing and those that do know of it are sworn to never say a word, let alone show the entrance to outsiders of the royal family. The situation, however, demands that I show the hidden passage so that thy meeting with Princess Zelda may be kept secret from the castle guards and any who wish to do harm to the quest that you must accomplish."

Saria turned around and stared at the woman in front of her. In her mind and memory, she knew not the person. She could never recall meeting this woman in all her years, not once. And yet, for some odd reason, she felt she knew her name.

"Come," the woman said. "Follow me. The princess is waiting for thy arrival inside the castle and it would be most inappropriate to keep her waiting any longer then deemed necessary."

Link and Saria followed the woman back to the far end of the right side of the castle. As they walked Saria noticed that this woman, who she knew was named Impa, was a dangerous person. It was more than just a feeling; she knew Impa was dangerous. Everything about her was silent: her walk, her breathing. Everything. She also knew that this woman had killed before. Killed many to protect the Royal Family.

'_Why is it that I know this much of her' _Saria thought. _'Never have I seen this woman and never had I heard her name. Yet I know her. How can such a thing be?'_

Impa stopped walking. In front of her stood the castle walls that lay next to the castle gate that surrounded the castle. This section of wall seemed more worn than the rest of the castle walls. The bricks were chipped in many spots and many spiders have filled the space between the castle wall and the gate with webs that seemed ancient. Further ahead, a rat squeaked in fear as one of the many spiders jumped on its back and injected the tiny rodent with a large amount of poison, which would paralyze the creature and then kill it.

Link felt no fear of this place; he had been in much scarier places than this. Saria, however, felt terrified and could hardly breathe.

Impa pushed on of the many cracked bricks. A section of the wall fell back and slowly rested itself on the ground, spilling much dust in the air and filling the area around the three people with the sound that a draw bridge would make after coming down.

Without saying a word or looking back, Impa walked inside the hidden passage and down the steps that lay beyond the fallen section of wall. Link and Saria followed the woman down the steps. The section of wall started to upright itself and returned to its original spot, bringing total darkness to the passage-way.

Saria grabbed Link's shoulder in a tight grip. She grabbed him out of the fear that she now felt and the desire to not get lost in this dark place that she could not see within.

"Link," Saria whispered. "What place is this?"

"This is the hidden passage of the castle," Impa said. "This passage was built secretly within the castle during its construction over three-thousand years ago. Its purpose was to be used mainly by the royal family incase any army or rebellion were to overtake the castle and claim it as their own. Few people outside the royal family know of it and those that do know must keep watch over it. I was never supposed to know of this passage, as my duties are to aid and watch over Princess Zelda for the remainder of my life, but when Ganondorf ordered his army to attack the castle I was told by the princess to use this passage and help her sneak out of the castle. When Zelda knew of the hardship thou were about to attempt in order to enter the castle she ordered me to show you this entrance."

"Zelda knew what we were planning," Saria asked.

"Zelda knew for quite some time," Impa said. "She knew of Link's plan before he even thought of it. It is fortunate that she saw what it was you were planning. Had thou attempted to open the drawbridge you and thy companion would have been shot by the archers before either of you reached the guards."

"How foolish of me," Link said. "I can't believe I didn't remember the archers and put Saria's life at risk just to enter the castle."

"Do not worry," Impa said. "Thou are not dead or captured. All reminiscing of such matters are not necessary at this point. Thou have entered the castle and thou shall speak with the princess."

As they walked further in the passage, which was surprisingly long, Link and Saria both nearly tripped over something. Saria knew not what it was. Link, however, did know. It was one of the guards that were assigned to protect the castle passage. Impa, however, had to use the secret passage-way to bring Link and Saria through, so she had no choice but to shoot the guard with one of her poison needles so that he may not attack the two heroes. The poison is not fatal and within a few hours he shall wake from his long nap. He would never tell of his falling asleep inside the passage. The punishment for falling asleep while guarding the passage is death and he will not wish for that to happen.

Link did not tell Saria what it was they stepped over.

"Do thou know what it is we will be speaking of when we meet the princess," Saria asked Impa.

"That I do not know," Impa said. "As far as knowing it involves something to do with thy quest and the missing piece of the Triforce, I am unable to know. The princess has said nothing about what it is that must be done or where it is that thou must go.

"We have reached the end of this passage. I shall open the hidden door and let thee through."

A light, which seemed too bright for Link and Saria's eyes after the pitch darkness from the passage that they went through, greeted them as the wall opened in front of them. Instead of dropping to the floor, as the entrance to the passage did, the exiting door acted as any other door would: swinging towards the one opening the door. Impa's eyes were unaffected by the sudden change in light.

Link and Saria walked through the hidden doorway. The room that they were now in was unlike any room they had ever seen. The room was as large as most rooms of the many dungeons Link had entered. The entire floor of the room was covered by a beautiful white carpet that portrayed a large Triforce at the center of it. The walls of the room were made of marble that was polished well and brought from an unknown place of old. In the far back of the room, which was where they now stood, was a large bed that had a beautiful crimson colored cover on top of it and many different colored pillows that showed at the head of the bed. At each of the corners of the room were marble statues of Hylian kings of old with their names etched at the base. Several windows (three of them stain-glass windows) showed the outside world to Link and Saria and they were amazed to see that night had already come to the land of Hyrule. The ceiling showed an image of spectacular wonder: the three golden goddesses, each handing a piece of the Triforce to a great hero in the midst of a great battle.

"Where are we," Saria asked, her attention fixated upon the beauty of the room that she stood in.

"This is the King's chamber," Impa said. "As the king is away on official business, of which we have not the time to speak of, this room is the safest to enter at the moment, but ye cannot stay here for long. The maids of this castle are ordered to keep this room in perfect condition while the king is away and I fear one may enter at any given time."

"So why do thou not have us leave this room immediately," Link asked. "Is there something that we must do in this room before we are to walk about the castle freely?"

"I see that thy mind is as strong as ever," Impa said. "Indeed there is something that must be done here. Although ye two are now within the castle, this does not mean that ye shall be able to walk freely. Only a select few groups of people are given permission to enter the royal castle. Neither of thou look noble enough to wonder the halls freely. If any of the guards were to see the two of you as ye are now thou would be sent to the dungeon for questioning. I have with me two outfits that should make ye look as that of the Hylian nobles. However, I must ask to take thy weapons for now. Even the highest ranking noble is not permitted to bear a weapon upon them while in the castle."

Impa reached within her armor and brought out two Hylian noble-class attire. The suit and dress were for children and looked to be made of a very expensive fabric.

The suit was dark blue and had a button-up collar shirt to go with it. The pants were dark blue and seemed to be made of the same material that the suit was made of. Gloves, made of silk, were handed to Link. A pair of socks was with the suit and Impa revealed dress-shoes from under the king's bed.

The gown was a gorgeous pink and was long enough to hang down to just above Saria's ankles. The straps on it were broad and were designed to cling to whoever wore it. The fabric was made mostly out of silk and would feel more comfortable than the tunic Saria always wore. Long, white gloves, made of silk, were handed to Saria and she noticed that the gloves were designed to reach to just below her elbow. A pair of socks and elegant shoes, which were black with small gems near the tips of where the toes would be, was added to the attire.

"I shall be just outside of the room," Impa said. "Dress quickly and I'll show thee to the guest quarters that shall be thy place of rest for the night. Hand me thy tunics and weapons when ye leave the room. Tomorrow shall be the day ye shall palaver with Princess Zelda."

Impa turned and reached the door of the king's chamber. Without saying another word or looking back, Impa left the room to let Link and Saria change into their noble attire.

xxxx

The door of the King's Chamber opened several minutes after Impa left. Through the doors passed Link and Saria, dressed as nobles, with their Kokiri cloths and weapons in their hands.

Impa looked at the two heroes and saw how different they looked within noble attire. She also noticed that, although they were now dressed as nobles, they did not look very noble in many ways.

Link's hair, free from his hat, was wild, long and untamed. Impa doubted if Link ever used a comb in his life. His face had a long, vertical scar just under his right eye, even though nobles were not prone to do many things that would cause bodily harm. The suit, although fitting well enough, exposed some of his arms just above the wrist.

Saria's gown had fit perfectly, yet the markings of other cloths, especially cloths with sleeves, were apparent on her body from the tanned parts of her skin contrasting with the pale parts of her skin. This would seem strange as sleeved cloths were very unpopular with noble women. Other than that, though, Saria looked as if she had been a noble her whole life.

"Do we look noble enough Impa," Link said.

"I do believe so," Impa said. "I shall now guide thee to the guest's quarters so ye two shall have enough time to rest before thy meeting with Zelda. I must take thy weapons for now. Ye shall have them returned before thy departure."

Link and Saria handed over their clothing to Impa, who put it under her armor. They began to hand over their weapons to Impa, Link more hesitantly than Saria, when the sound of clinking armor began to reach their ears.

While Link and Saria had been giving Impa their clothing and weapons, a guard had started back to the armory to put up his weapons and armor. His shift at guarding the castle had ended and he now had a great desire to return his suit of armor to the armory and go to the town market to see if any of the Gerudo was still around. Although it was his job to keep the castle and town safe from the Gerudo, they occasionally came to the town market to have their way with strong men. Because of that, the Gerudo had become fairly fond of the town guards that were patrolling the area. If there was an advantage to guarding the town market at night it was for the chance to run into a Gerudo when she was looking for a man to spend the night with. Many guards had a tendency to take advantage of this situation, even if they were supposed to be guarding the town at the moment. Some of the palace guards, who were to never leave the castle walls, would sneak out of the castle after their shift was over to find a Gerudo.

Link and Saria turned their heads to see a fully clad palace knight coming their way. Impa, with her back to him, knew of the knight's coming before Link and Saria left the King's Chamber's. She had preparations for the knight and thought it best to not be seen.

The knight saw Link and Saria holding their swords in their hands. His shift was over, but he still had a duty to protect the castle. Forgetting his plans to sneak out of the castle, the knight began to reach for his sword, preparing to kill the two intruders.

Impa acted. She turned quickly and ran at the guard with unmatched speed. Before the guard was even aware of the attack that was to be set against him, Impa had already run behind him; while she ran past the guard she took his sword from his scabbard. She took the weapon, which should have been too heavy for anyone other than a knight, and struck him at the back of his head with a broad side of the sword, cracking his helmet and knocking him unconscious. He would stay unconscious the rest of the night and wake up in his bed the next day, believing the whole thing was nothing more than a dream. He would, however, wonder as to how his helmet got cracked.

Link and Saria watched all this and were amazed as to how fast Impa was. Never had either of the two heroes seen any man or beast run with such speed in their lives.

Impa took the unconscious knight and dragged him into the King's Chambers, placing him just left of the door. She picked up the knight's sword and returned it to his scabbard. After leaving the room she closed the door.

"I apologize for the incident," Impa said. "I could not risk him capturing or killing thee. Nor could I risk having him signal other guards to this area, but let us not think of what just happened. Give me thy weapons before other knights come."

"Will thou get in any trouble," Saria asked.

"Do not worry Saria," Impa said. "I am one of the shadow folk and I can avoid being seen by anyone. He saw thee and thy weapons, yet he did not see me."

"Can all the shadow folk do that," Saria asked.

"I have not the time to answer all thy questions," Impa asked. "Thou must hurry and give me thy weapons before any other knights come."

Link and Saria gave Impa their swords and shields. She equipped their swords and Link's mirror shield. She held onto Saria's Hylian shield.

"Follow me to the guest quarters," Impa said. "Once we reach the room I will have to depart from thy side. I ask thee not to exit the room for any reason as I will not be able to guarantee thy safety."

Link and Saria followed Impa down the hallway they were standing in. As they walked towards the room, Link and Saria began to marvel at the castle interior. The long stretch of red carpet that they walked on was very beautiful. Occasionally they would walk past a vase that seemed as tall as them and with beautiful designs on them, giving them a foreign beauty that could not be found in Hyrule. The candles that illuminated the hallway were held upon golden candle holders that were attached to the wall. Sometimes they would pass a guard or servant of the castle and they would not take any notice of the three that were walking the hallways at night.

It seemed that the hallways went on forever, yet they soon reached their destination. Impa opened the door and revealed another large room. Although it was not nearly as splendid as the King's Chambers, it did have a vast beauty to it. The carpeting within this room was red and there were several vacant beds within this room, lined near the walls, without a wrinkle or stain on any sheet or fabric. At the corner of the room was a tray with a plate of meat, vegetables, golden pitchers full of water and cake. Seeing the food reminded Link and Saria of how hungry they were.

"I figured ye would be hungry after such a day," Impa said. "Eat to your full and get some sleep afterward. This is where we must part ways for now."

"What about the guard that ye have knocked out," Link asked.

"Do not worry," Impa said. "I will take him to the knight's quarters and lay him to rest at his bed."

"When do ye think we shall see each other again," Saria asked.

"I must admit that thy curiosity is very apparent," Impa told Saria. "Do not worry over such matters. When the time is right I shall reveal myself to ye again.

"I must leave now. I cannot allow myself to leave the princess' side for long. Farewell young heroes."

Impa raced down the hallway. Saria ran to the doorway to see her, but she was no longer able to be seen.

Saria closed the door and looked at the room, which now seemed bigger than it really was. She was not used to such large places and it scared her a little. Link, however, seemed perfectly relaxed with this setting.

"Are ye hungry Saria," Link asked.

"I do believe so," Saria said. "Such hunger I have never experienced in all my life and now I wish to eat to my fill."

"I share this feeling with thee," Link said. "Let us eat and rest our tired limbs for the night. Tomorrow we shall finally be able to speak with the princess."

Link and Saria ate to their fill and, for the first time in a long time, felt comfortable. They talked about many things that they experienced during their quest so far and also of many other things that didn't seem to matter. Many times they laughed.

After eating their food, which was delicious, they picked their beds and rested on them. It did not take long for them to fall asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Hi everyone. Keep reading and reviewing. And to all those that did review, thank you. It is because of you that I am willing to continue. And I would also like to apologize to everyone who has read the book to this point. I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Someone close to me died a couple of months ago and I've been very depressed. Again, I apologize for the wait. I don't own Zelda or any of the game's characters and never will. If anyone wants to use any of the characters I make up in a story of theirs, they MUST ask my permission first or I will tell the administrator of this site. Please enjoy.

**Book One, Chapter Eight: The Palaver**

The sun rose early that day; too early for Link and Saria.

The birds began to sing, as if welcoming the new day. Insects began to hide once again in the shades of whatever grass bed they could, fearing the sun and the birds that rejoiced at its rising. Dew sparkled in the grass, giving the green ground a look of wonder and beauty that few people could ever see. Clouds and sky, often white and blue, were illuminated in a sea of pink and orange that took every early person's breath away. This morning was one of rare elegance that comes along once in a century and should be cherished by all living things.

In the guest's chambers of Hyrule Castle, such happiness and feel of fulfillment was not to be felt. Link and Saria knew that this day would mark the beginning of their quest. This would be the day that would prepare their leaving of the land of Hyrule. The two heroes knew this and were filled with sadness and remorse, yet they could not feel it. Their meeting with Princess Zelda took their minds off such things and they would only know of their sadness once the meeting ended.

xxxx

Saria was the first to awaken. Link woke up several moments later, a tracing of sleep drool still clinging to his cheek. Both had slept in their noble clothing so that they could meet with the princess earlier, but they now wished that they had undressed and could have delayed the meeting somewhat.

"How was thy sleep Saria," Link asked.

"It was heavy and dreamless," Saria said. "Or maybe I did dream and can no longer recall what it was I dreamed of. I suppose it doesn't matter. Did ye have any dreams?"

"I had no dreams that I can recall," Link said.

The door to the Guest Chambers opened and Impa walked through the doorway, a tray of food in front of her. She was clad in her armor and a long dagger, which had elfin runes written at the broad sides of it, hung horizontally at her lower back. A look of total seriousness was etched in her face.

"I am glad to see that ye have awakened," Impa said. "I have brought thee a small breakfast before thy meeting with Princess Zelda. Eat fast and follow me to the Princess' Chambers. I shall wait outside the room."

Impa turned and left the Guest Chambers, leaving the tray she brought with her.

"Is she always serious," Saria asked Link.

"Indeed she is," Link said. "Never will ye find any other that is more serious as Impa. Yet she is kind and very generous when she feels she has to be, so judge her not. But such talk can be held for another time I suppose. Let us eat what we can and be ready to meet Zelda."

Link and Saria walked to the tray and looked at what it was that they were given to eat. Two bowls of porridge lay on it, steam still coming from the surface, and a pitcher of water with two empty glasses standing next to it. Spoon handles jutted out of the porridge as if waiting to be taken by the two heroes.

"I have not an appetite for food right now," Saria said.

"It would still be wise to eat what we are given freely," Link said. "Many times I had to go for days without any food to eat. I have learned that food is important to have and it would be very unwise to deny food when it is given freely. Eat what ye can, for I feel that our time with Zelda will be long and we shall have much to discuss with her. I would rather not be distracted by hunger during that time."

"Very well," Saria said. "I suppose it would be unwise to waste such food now that it has been brought to us."

xxxx

The hallways were much longer than Saria had remembered, but they were much easier to walk in now that the light of day reached through the windows and lit the once dark place. The marble walls showed a kind of splendor that could not be taken in during the night. Bright and beautiful were the only words that could describe it and Saria felt foolish for not noticing it during the night. Link and Impa, however, showed no signs of wonder for such things.

Saria felt that many minutes they spent walking through the beautiful hallway. She felt that there was no end to the castle; that they would spend hours walking through the many hallways and maybe never find the room they needed to go to, but in truth it was only less than ten minutes that was spent walking the castle.

As they walked further in, Saria noticed that there were fewer knights and nobles walking the hallways and that the hallways were getting much darker.

'_I understand,' _Saria thought. _'Zelda wishes none but us to listen to what we must talk about. She must be waiting for us in a part of the castle that is either no longer used or not commonly used by most people.'_

'_Thou hast learned very much of the situation,' _a voice spoke. _'Never have we met and already ye have thought in such a way that it would seem that we have known each other for the longest of time.'_

Saria stopped and looked around the dimly lit hallway. All was abandoned and nobody else appeared to be present, save Link and Impa who were wandering further ahead.

Saria dismissed the thought and caught up to Link and Impa, who seemed to not notice Saria's moment of confusion in the hallway. She was glad that they didn't; she didn't want them to worry about her meeting the princess.

Link, however, did notice. Impa noticed as well.

"Thou shall now meet the princess," Impa said as she stopped in front of an old, worn door that looked ready to fall off its hinges. "Ye must enter alone for Zelda has asked me to keep watch in this hallway so that none shall enter this room."

Impa grabbed the rusty handle of the door and turned it. The door opened with an ear-piercing screech coming from the rusted hinges.

The room that they entered was unlike the rest of the castle. The room was large, round and very old; so old it would make an elf feel young. The color of the walls were not the white and black mix of marble that they were used to, but of a brown-red color like bricks; seeing this color reminded Saria of some of the younger trees that were in the Kokiri Forest. The floor, walls and old shelves were covered in dust. Even the air in the room seemed to be filled with dust. The shelves that were placed in the far back of the room were wooden and many were broken. Those shelves that were not broken just yet were very worn and weak with age and the many bugs that found a particular taste for wood. On one of the surviving shelves was a jar that held within it a human hand that was preserved throughout the ages with a strange brown liquid that it floated in, yet the hand was badly wrinkled and was starting to show the signs of decay; the tip of the middle finger had a bone jutting out from it. Saria noticed the hand and felt a slight urge to vomit on her noble cloths, yet she forced herself to keep her food down.

In the middle of the room was a round, wooden table with a lit candle on top of it. Three wooden chairs surrounded the table. On one of those chairs was a beautiful girl with golden-colored hair and ocean blue eyes. She had on a very expensive looking dress that was mostly purple in color, but had the colors of yellow on it as well. On the middle of the dress, just below her chest and just above her stomach, was a Triforce symbol.

"I am glad to finally see thee here," Zelda said to Link and Saria. "Long have I been waiting for this day when we three, who have been blessed by the golden goddesses, would meet here and discuss what must be done."

Saria recognized the voice. It was the same voice she heard in the hallway just before reaching this room.

"Please come and sit down at this table," Zelda said.

Link and Saria walked to the table and picked their chairs; Link chose the chair that was to the right of Zelda and Saria chose the chair that was to the left of Zelda.

"What is it that we must discuss," Saria asked. "I apologize for asking such a thing, yet I am unsure of what it is we are involved in. Demons and Angels have plagued our dreams and images of our death have haunted both dream and reality alike, yet I understand nothing of it."

"That is not a question ye should feel sorry for asking," Zelda said. "I know little of what our dreams tell us and my mind is filled with many scorpions, yet that is the reason I believe we should hold this palaver."

"What is the first thing we must discuss though," Link asked.

"I believe there are many things that should be discussed," Zelda said. "We should discuss the reasons behind our nightmares. We should discuss the Triforce of Power and who may hold the ancient relic. We should discuss why Angels and Demons may battle upon the plain of the living. We should discuss many things, yet there is another thing I would want to discuss. I would like to discuss Saria and why she must play a role in such a dangerous quest."

"Such is what I wished to hear from thou," Link said. "Long have I pondered that and no reason I could find that should allow her to follow on such a quest."

"I shall tell ye as to why such a thing is and what importance Saria has to the quest of finding the missing Triforce of Power," Zelda said, her voice becoming dreadfully serious and her eyes pointing directly at Saria, as if Zelda was telling this only to Saria and not Link. "Already she holds that which was hidden from the sages and all holy beings that made the earth and the universe, a power that was, in its own way, a second Triforce."

"What do thou mean," Saria asked.

"It is why ye have remembered much of what was and what never will be," Zelda said. "Ye have been able to recall the face of Impa, the Sage of Darkness, and yet thou have never met Impa till just yesterday. I am sure the names of Darunia, Ruto, Nabooru and Rauru can be recalled as well. I am sure ye can even place a face upon the names that thou have just heard."

Saria did recall the names and, as Zelda said, could even recall what it was they looked like. This frightened Saria somewhat, yet she felt happy to recall those names. She could even recall their voices; their protectiveness; and their love. She remembered of the love Ruto had for Link. She remembered Darunia and how much he loved to hear her play her song, the song that she used to keep contact with Link. She remembered so much of people and beings that she never met.

'_Something isn't right,' _Saria thought. _'Link has mentioned to me several names during his quest, names of sages, yet I have never heard of Nabooru or Rauru. And I recall talking with them, telling them of times past when Hyrule was at peace and of times I played with Link. I even recall playing my song to Darunia. Never have I met these people and never did I speak with them, so why must it be that I hold memories of such a time?'_

"Thou can remember those people because ye have met them when Ganondorf was king and all cowered before him, but the time I speak of is also a time that will never be. Link slew Ganon and returned to this time, a time that shall never experience Ganon's wrath. This also means that the sages never met one another and may never see one another, save those that have political powers in their tribes.

"Link and I can only recall of such events because we have been blessed by the goddesses and given a piece of the Triforce. As a former sage, ye should have never remembered of such a time and thou should have forgotten ever meeting such people. You know of such a time and know such people because ye also are blessed by the goddesses and hold a piece of their power."

"What do thou mean," Link asked, much interest in his voice. "Do ye mean that it is Saria who holds the Triforce of Power?"

"She is not the bearer of the Triforce of Power," Zelda said. "Yet she does hold a power that is not mentioned in legends. This power is a part of the Triforce and acts as its own Triforce, though not nearly as powerful as the Triforce we know of. The piece that Saria holds contains a balance of Power, Wisdom and Courage. It is a missing piece of the Triforce that the three golden goddesses separated from the complete Triforce when the world was created. They separated this piece from the Triforce so that none could ever hold enough power to become a god, for the Triforce, with all its pieces intact, could turn any one person into a true god.

"This Triforce piece, which is the original center of the Triforce, is known as the Triforce of Balance. I know this only because I have the Triforce of Wisdom. When Ganondorf separated the Triforce into three pieces, the forth piece was affected and it fell upon the Earth, searching for whoever was able to hold a balance of Power, Wisdom and Courage in their heart. Saria was chosen by that piece of the Triforce as its bearer, for she holds a balance of Power, Wisdom and Courage.

"It is only recently that this information came to my knowledge. In fact, it was the very day that Saria left the forest that I realized her as a bearer. Saria, being a Kokiri, should have died shortly after leaving the forest. She is a forest elf and can only live if she remains in a forest. She survived because she was protected by the Triforce piece she had; it even slowed the rate of the sickness, making it only become apparent after several hours instead of just a few minutes. This incident was also what awakened the Triforce's power, as it responded to Saria's need to survive and helped her stay alive and in the living world. When this happened, the Triforce image on the back of my hand began to glow again and the center of the image was glowing as well, giving me information of the Triforce of Balance and why none have ever heard of it.

"When I realized what it was Saria had and how important her piece of the Triforce is, I was finally able to understand as to why she was needed in this quest. Her piece was connected to each of the three other pieces at one time and is able to feel the presence of a Triforce piece when it is near. This shall be one of Saria's roles in this quest: To find the Triforce of Power and the one who carries it. I am sure, however, that there are other roles that she must play out before the end of this quest, but such things can wait."

Link and Saria sat in surprised confusion for the next several minutes, during which time an uncomfortable silence was held between the three children. Each of their minds was filled with many things, some of which could not be put into words. The one with the most thoughts and questions was not Saria, but Zelda. There were some things that Zelda wished to tell Link and Saria; things which were not important at the moment. She wished to tell them of how it was that the Triforce of Balance came to be. She wished to tell them of the significance that the Triforce of Balance held upon the Triforce itself. She wished to tell them of the deeper reasons behind the goddesses' actions in creating the Triforce and separating the middle of it, creating an incomplete balance with the remaining three pieces. She wished to tell Link and Saria of these matters, but she didn't. She knew that the information she had was valuable to them and could be put to good use, but she knew that the time had not yet come to tell them of these matters. It is unclear if that time ever would come.

"Do ye speak the truth," Link asked, already knowing the answer.

"I speak of what I believe is true," Zelda said. "But I believe I have spoken enough of the matter. Although what Saria has is very important, it is only one of the things that I wish to speak of. There are other matters that must be addressed and I believe the sooner we speak of them, the better. Let us think of other matters, such as where the Triforce of Power is hidden."

"I agree," Saria said. "I would rather not think of such a thing that burdens me for right now."

"Have thou learned of where the Triforce of Power is," Link asked.

"I have not anything that I can speak of with full confidence," Zelda said. "When Ganon was killed by Link, the Triforce of Power separated from his body and vanished from my foresight. Had the Triforce of Power chosen a being in Hyrule to be its bearer, I would have been able to tell ye of who it is that bears it. Since I am unable to feel the presence of the Triforce piece, I believe that it now resides in a being that is either not from Hyrule or has left Hyrule."

"It matters not as to why we can't feel its presence," Link said. "We all know that the Triforce piece is not in the land of Hyrule. All that matters is who has it and in which kingdom the bearer is."

"It may not be a kingdom," Saria said. "If ye think about it, I am bearing a piece of the Triforce and, although I lived in the land of Hyrule, I lived outside of its policies and laws. In a sense, I lived not in the kingdom of Hyrule."

"Saria provides a good point," Zelda said. "With all we know at the moment the bearer may not be within a kingdom, which means the bearer may live anywhere. If such is the case, finding the Triforce of Power may be more difficult than we thought."

"Then what do we do," Link asked.

"Thou must find the Triforce of Power and learn of the truth behind the battle of Angels and Demons," Zelda said. "Regardless of how difficult it will be, it must be done. Without the Triforce of Power, there is no hope with halting this terrible battle."

"It takes more than necessity to succeed," Link said. "I doubt not thy wisdom Zelda, but if I and Saria are to find the bearer we must have an idea as to where it is we must look."

"I cannot tell thou anything that I would feel confident in saying," Zelda said. "But I have dreamed of the kingdom of Torral and of ye and Saria fighting off a man of great strength who takes pleasure in torturing and killing people he dislikes. Already I know that such a man exists and that his hands are already stained with much blood. Perhaps this is the bearer of the Triforce of Power, but I would feel uncomfortable if that is so."

"I would feel uncomfortable as well," Link said. "I have fought Ganondorf and came close to my end during the fight. If I must fight again that terrible power, I do not think I shall live."

"I would rather thou avoid fighting against the one who carries the Triforce of Power," Zelda said. "The bearer plays a role that will aid thou and Saria in this quest. It would be best to not draw any weapon against the bearer, but if he is willing to slay thee, then I suppose the only thing that can help is to win the fight. Do not kill him if such is the case."

"What if he poses no threat to us and is willing to aid in whatever ways he can," Saria asked.

"Such is a rare thing," Zelda said. "Very few people are willing to leave their life behind at the mention of danger and death, even if it is to save the world. Thou faced the same choice when Link asked ye to accompany him on this very quest and thou agreed to journey with him only because ye have already wanted to leave the forest, which was thy home and prison. And even though ye accepted this task, it still took several minutes of hard thinking to decide such a thing. If this person, who thou must find, is content with where he lives and has an easy-going life, then I am afraid it will be almost impossible to make him wish to leave that life. If, however, his life is difficult and dangerous, it may be possible to convince him to go. Even with the latter, I doubt it will be an easy decision for him."

"Ye make it sound impossible," Link said.

"Most would find it impossible," Zelda said. "But we have faced impossible chances before and have managed to overcome them. If ye find it difficult to persuade the bearer, simply remember that the world may end without his aid. If that is not enough, however, do anything ye can think of to convince him to come along."

"What if the bearer refuses all the offers we give to him," Link asked. "Many have I met that have been set in their minds and would refuse every offer that can be given to them. Ye could show them a chest filled with every treasure that one would ever want and still they would turn it down. If the one we seek is such a person, I fear we may have to overpower him and force him into this quest."

"Would that be wise," Zelda asked. "If the bearer has mastered the power of the goddess Din, the goddess who formed existence with her flames, ye would be facing a person who could destroy the world with a snap of his fingers. Would ye be able to accept the responsibilities of putting countless of lives in danger and risk the destruction of the world by challenging such a person?"

"I faced that responsibility when I fought Ganondorf in his keep," Link said. "I understood the risks and knew I had to take the weight of the world on my shoulders. If I must repeat such an act in order to save the world, I shall."

"An attitude such as that is promising to my ears," Zelda said. "If ye are that determined to save the world then I believe that thy journey will be successful. And I know deep in my heart that ye shall persuade this bearer to join thou."

"Finding the bearer and getting him to join us will not be enough," Saria said. "Even when we do manage to get him to help us, that shall only be the beginning of the quest. From what I can gather, we still know nothing of what it is that we must do or where it is we must travel to once we get this person. Do we return to Hyrule and wait for a sign to appear before us or do we travel blindly to lands unknown to us in the hope of finding something that none have seen in many years?"

"I am unsure of what it is that must be done after ye have found the bearer," Zelda said. "I would like to say that ye should return to Hyrule once the Triforce of Power has been found, but I feel that shall not be what will happen. I feel that another force is working even as this meeting is taking place. I feel that thy questions shall be answered as soon as ye find the third of thy company and that ye shall be guided to wherever it is that thou must go, but as to what answers ye shall find is something that I am unable to tell."

"I feel uncomfortable with going in search of someone and not knowing what must be done afterwards," Link said.

"As do I," Zelda said.

"Then what should be done when we find the bearer," Saria asked.

"Look and wait for a sign to appear within the next fortnight after finding the bearer," Zelda said. "I believe a sign should be seen or a message will be delivered to thou during that time. If such is not the case, return to me and I shall find a way to guide thou to the next part of the journey. I cannot guarantee that I would be able to do such a thing; even my power of foresight has its limits as to what I am allowed to see. If it is necessary, which I hope it isn't, I shall make use of a fortune-teller and have her try to find a way to guide us, yet I am unsure if a fortune-teller's foresight would be able to see into the events that surround the Triforce pieces. If that doesn't work, ye shall make use of the castle till I can manage a way to guide thou to thy next location. I am sorry to say that I am unable to help more than that."

"Could the sages be of any use if thou are unable to guide us," Link asked.

"The sages have yet to be awakened during this time of peace and prosperity," Zelda said. "If they are to be awakened once again, it will be when the land of Hyrule is overcome with darkness and despair. Even if the sages are awakened, their powers will extend only as far as the borders of Hyrule. I do not believe the sages will play any role in this quest. However, if they do play a role, I believe it shall only be a minor one."

"So thou are saying Saria and I will have to find our own way during this quest," Link said. "I have managed times on my own when I needed to find my own way, yet I have never had to travel from one kingdom to another in order to find my way. This quest shall not be an easy one if we must travel without a location."

"Ye will have to manage," Zelda said. "I am sorry to say that our information into the matter of the quest is very limited and, because of that, we shall need to gather more information of this quest in lands unknown to us, yet the first step in our quest is to find the Triforce of Power and it seems that we know the kingdom in which it stays at the moment. This means that we must act with haste if we wish to intercept this person. If we delay too much longer, he may leave Torral and journey to lands that none in Hyrule have ever walked upon."

"I still do not like the idea of fighting off a man who has already killed," Saria said. "Ye said that we may face a battle once we reach the land of Torral, but do ye think that this is the bearer of the Triforce of Power?"

"I am unsure if that person is the bearer," Zelda said. "His strength and power is great, yet I sensed a limit to that power. I am unsure if this means that he is not the bearer or if he has yet to master the Triforce of Power. In either case, it would be wise to find this person, yet I would take caution when approaching him. He is blood-thirsty and wouldn't hesitate to kill a sickly child if the child would dare look at him the wrong way."

"This means we shall be put in danger from the very beginning of the quest," Saria said.

"It doesn't matter when we shall be put in danger," Link said. "Our lives will always be in danger during the quest and we shall have to stain our swords often, but I shall take as many enemies as I can. Rest assured that I shall try my best to keep thou out of battle as often as I can."

"I thank ye Link for thy kind words," Saria said. "But I shall be fine. With all that ye have taught me, I believe that I shall live through every battle that I fight in."

"I believe we should stick to what we were talking about," Zelda said. "I apologize for being rude, but there are much more important matters that need discussing than which one would be protected in battle.

"This man that I have seen in my dreams has a crescent-shaped scar on his right eye and he uses a thorn-whip with three metallic balls at the end of the whip. Although that appears to be his chief weapon, he seems to possess a broad-sword and would use it if an enemy he was fighting got past his whipping length. He also seems to possess a strong power that I fear he would use if he felt it necessary. As I have said earlier, be careful when approaching this man. If ye say the wrong things to him, thou will end up dead."

When these words were spoken, Saria felt an aching chill go up her spine that left goose-bumps covering every part of her body, save her face and legs. It became clear to her that, although leaving the forest was the right choice, she had truly underestimated the level of danger she would have to face. She wished to no longer be outside of the forest. She wished herself to be back within the forest's barrier and away from all the dangers that the outside world had. She was a forest elf. She belonged in the forest, didn't she?

As these thoughts ran through her mind, a warm feeling overtook her. She felt comforted and at ease. No longer did she feel afraid to go into the dangers that the world had to offer. She had Link to protect her and she had Bane as well. If it came down to it, she would unsheathe Bane and use it in battle. She became somewhat skilled with a sword and shield when she practiced with Link and she knew she could fight off most beasts. Though how she would fare against a powerful and skilled opponent, ones that have pushed Link to his very limit, she did not know.

The door to the room suddenly opened and filled the room with a chilling wind. Impa entered the room and faced the three Triforce bearers, her eyes showing she knew much of what was discussed and mentioned.

"I am sorry Zelda," Impa said. "Ye have told me to let the meeting go on as long as possible, but if the guards of the castle realize that ye are not anywhere to be found they shall search all of the castle and search the market as well. If they were to come here and see thou with thy two companions, I fear that even I would be unable to protect ye three from what may happen. I fear that this discussion must end now before anything were to go awry."

"Must we end our discussion now Lady Impa," Zelda asked. "We could not have been talking more than fifteen minutes. I believe we can talk a little longer."

"It has been well over an hour since ye have started talking with Link and Saria," Impa said. "I had hoped that the guards wouldn't have noticed thy disappearance Lady Zelda, but I have heard commotion from up above and mentioning that ye are nowhere to be found. If ye go on any longer, thy friends shall be found with thou and they shall be taken to the dungeon for questioning. It would be best to let this meeting end now. We can prepare them for their leaving afterwards."

"If what ye say is true then I shall leave," Zelda said. "Although I wish this meeting could go on longer, I must bid ye farewell. Wait for Impa to return and follow her to the Guest Chambers. If the guards see thou walking unattended, they may question ye and demand to know why children are walking the castle all by themselves."

"Is that all ye can truly say about the quest," Saria asked as Zelda turned to leave. "Ye have mentioned that I bear a Triforce piece of my own and yet I know not how to use it."

"Ye have used it several times," Zelda said, turning around to face Saria. "Thou were overtaken with fear just a moment ago, fear that put the entire quest at risk, and suddenly ye found the strength needed to overtake that fear. Thou were also overtaken by a sickness that should have left ye dead, and yet thou has lived. Thy Triforce piece was used in both times and ye have used it masterfully. In time, ye shall learn how to use it at thy own will. When that time comes, thou shall become a warrior of legend. Just survive long enough for that to happen."

Zelda reached Impa's side and grabbed hold of Impa's hand. It seemed to both Link and Saria that Zelda had become almost transparent, as if she was vanishing. Although Saria was confused, Link understood perfectly. Impa meant to take Zelda back to the upper levels of the castle. There she would have her reappear and let herself be seen by the knights and any other noble that had been looking for her.

Zelda and Impa turned and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Saria took off her glove and looked at the back of her hand. An image of three golden triangles rested on her hand, or maybe that image was now part of her hand. This image, however, was different from Link and Zelda's; her Triforce image was of one triangle, as if the Triforce had another triangle enter the center and fill it in. The middle piece glowed with a golden light that was bright to her.

Link looked at her hand and said nothing. He stared at it for several seconds before taking his eyes to Saria's eyes.

"This is both good and bad for ye," Link said.

"How do thou mean," Saria asked.

"This means that thy journey shall be much easier for thou," Link said. "Yet this also means that thy life is destined for much hardship. Ye shall make friends that shall never be seen by thou again and thou shall have to make many promises that may never get fulfilled."

"Would lying be hard," Saria asked. "Would it be hard to lie to some people in order to save the world? Wouldn't it be alright to lie here and there if a life was to be saved in the process?"

"Ye have not had to make use of any lies in thy life," Link said, his eyes glazed with memories of the past. "Ye have not had to make a promise that thou shall protect a village and make a mistake that ends up with the lives of many villagers lost. Ye have not agreed to help others and then abandon aiding them so that thou can continue thy quest without a minor delay. I have made many lies to further my own end, most of those lies intentional, and always do I remember the eyes and hope of the person I made the promise to. The eyes of one who has been tricked and deceived, yet I grow use to it. I can lie to ye now and not feel for it, yet I would have never done so a few years ago. This quest shall change ye Saria. I just hope that thou shall still remain the pure maiden ye are now; I cannot imagine thou otherwise. I hope such a vision never enters my mind or eyes."

"It shall not happen to me," Saria said.

"I hope it doesn't," Link said.

"Never say that ye shall not do an action if thou cannot predict thy own future," a voice said from the other side of the room. "To make such a statement is foolish, for ye may put thy own statement in front of thy better judgment and have thy life lost. Thou may think that such a thing is honorable, yet I believe that honor is in how one lives thy life, not how one dies."

"I could not have said it better myself," Link said. "Impa is right. Remember that ye can do much good for many people, yet also know that ye will accomplish nothing by dying. If ye must make say a lie, then do so, but do not say a lie if it will only convenience thou and not others. Do ye understand?"

"Yes," Saria said. "I just hope not to say any lies for the time being. It just doesn't feel right."

"It never will," Impa said. "Yet such things can be discussed later. Let us leave this place and ready thy departure from this land. Ye should be ready to leave this land before today's setting sun. I would have thou stay in the castle for the night, but Lady Zelda has ordered that thou be ready to leave as soon as possible."

"Do not think too much of it," Link said. "I believe that leaving before today's end would be the best choice. If I and Saria were to stay here for too long, it would be difficult for us to depart."

"Thy cloths and weapons are waiting in the Guest Chambers," Impa said. "Follow me back to the chambers and do not leave till I come to get thou. Thou will be given a meal before thy departure and ye shall also be given directions to the land of Torral. Thou shall also be given several hundred rupees and a supply of food that should last for three months. Zelda shall give thou a letter which ye shall show to the border guard; thou shall not be allowed to leave this land without it."

Impa turned and faced the door, walked several steps and stopped for a moment, as if making sure no guards were listening to what she was saying. When she saw that nobody was listening, she turned back to Link and Saria.

"Follow me and do not leave my protection," Impa said. "As long as thou stay close to me, the guards shall not see thee."

With that, Link and Saria left the dark room that they had spent their time in. Both were silent on their walk back to the Guest Chambers, yet their minds were filled with many thoughts about what they had learned from Zelda.

Link's main thought was that this was the last day they would spend in the land of Hyrule. Saria's main thought was that she would never see the Kokiri children again.


End file.
